Denzel Washington and Viola Davis Shine in Fences Trailer

Fences is the movie adaptation of a Tony Award-winning stage play by the late, great, African-American playwright, August Wilson.

The story focuses on an African-American family in the 1950s, specifically a man named Troy (Denzel Washington) whose opportunity to be a baseball star has fizzled out into a life working menial jobs in a segregated America. Facing a daily existence of disappointment, bitterness and struggle, Troy begins to have conflict with his son Cory (Jovan Adepo), and wife Rose (Viola Davis). Eventually things build to a head, as buried secrets and smothered frustrations all coming bursting to the surface.

Washington and Davis have already played their characters in a 2010 revival of the play, which was spearheaded by Scott Rudin. For the movie adaptation, Washington will be stepping behind the camera as director. He'll be building on a resume that includes other stories of African-American adversity, like Antwone Fisher, and The Great Debaters.

With that kind of star power behind it, Fences is going to draw in a lot of attention (and a crowd) for its debut in theaters on Christmas Day.