Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is an upcoming American drama film directed by George C. Wolfe, based on the play of the same name by August Wilson. The film stars Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, in his final film role prior to his death, and centers on a fateful recording session of "Mother of the Blues" Ma Rainey in 1927 Chicago, and deals with issues of race, music, relationships, and the exploitation of black recording artists. The film is scheduled to be released on December 18, 2020, on Netflix.
Denzel Washington initially had a deal with the television network HBO to produce nine of the playwright August Wilson's plays into films, with Ma Rainey's Black Bottom amongst them. By June 2019, the deal had been moved to Netflix. Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, and Michael Potts had been cast in the film, with George C. Wolfe set to direct. In July 2019, Taylour Paige, Jonny Coyne, Jeremy Shamos, and Dusan Brown joined the cast of the film.
Filming commenced on July 8, 2019, in Pittsburgh, with sets converted into 1927 Chicago, and wrapped on August 16, 2019. On August 28, 2020, Boseman died of colon cancer during post-production, making Ma Rainey's Black Bottom his final film appearance
Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians awaits trailblazing performer, the legendary "Mother of the Blues," Ma Rainey (Viola Davis). Late to the session, the fearless, fiery Ma engages in a battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music.
As the band waits in the studio's claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious trumpeter Levee (Chadwick Boseman) – who has an eye for Ma's girlfriend and is determined to stake his own claim on the music industry – spurs his fellow musicians into an eruption of stories, truths, and lies that will forever change the course of their lives.
George C. Wolfe’s upcoming adaptation of August Wilson’s stage play “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” was always going to be one of Netflix’s big Oscar contenders for the 2020-21 awards season, but the passing of Chadwick Boseman has elevated the project further, as it’s now the late actor’s final movie.
Boseman passed away in late August after a battle with colon cancer. A first look at the drama, which also boasts Viola Davis in the titular role and her “Fences” director and co-star Denzel Washington as a producer, has debuted via The New York Times.
“Ma Rainey’s Block Bottom” stars Davis as Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, the iconic professional blues singer who became known as the “Mother of the Blues.” The film is set during an intense recording session in 1920s Chicago as Ma Rainey battles her manager and producer over control of her music and goes toe-to-toe with band members such as Boseman’s Levee, an ambitious trumpeter who is determined to make a name for himself in the music industry. The supporting cast includes Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, and Michael Potts.
Washington, who last brought Wilson to the screen with “Fences,” told The Times of Boseman’s performance, “He did a brilliant job, and he’s gone. I still can’t believe it.”
“A lot of actors mistake their presence for the event,” Davis added about her late co-star. “An actor of Chadwick’s status usually comes on and it’s their ego who comes on before them: This is what they want, this is what they’re not going to do. That was absolute, 150 percent off the table with Chadwick. He could completely discard whatever ego he had, whatever vanity he had, and welcome Levee in.”
Boseman was battling cancer while in production on “Ma Rainey’s,” but no one involved with the film knew at the time. Davis said, “I’m looking back at how tired he always seemed. I look at his beautiful, unbelievable team that was meditating over him and massaging him, and I now realize everything they were trying to infuse in him to keep him going and working at his optimal level. And he received it.”
“I think a lot of times, people look at someone’s life backward,” Davis added. “Now we have the unfortunate knowledge that Chadwick succumbed to cancer at 43, but really, Levee represents so many Black men living in America. What we’re constantly navigating on a day-to-day basis is the trauma of our past — we’re trying to heal from it, we’re even trying to understand that it’s there, and we’re negotiating that with our dreams and who we want to become.”
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Cast
- Viola Davis as Ma Rainey
- Chadwick Boseman as Levee
- Glynn Turman as Toledo
- Colman Domingo as Cutler
- Michael Potts as Slow Drag
- Taylour Paige as Dussie Mae
- Jonny Coyne as Sturdyvant
- Jeremy Shamos as Irvin
- Dusan Brown as Sylvester
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Release Date
It is scheduled to be released on December 18, 2020.
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