With awards season fast approaching, Netflix is showing off many of the films it intends to see on ballots in a few months, including the highly-anticipated adaptation of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Based on the play from Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom tells the story of the “Mother of the Blues,” who is played by Viola Davis. The movie also notably co-stars the late Chadwick Boseman in his final film role, playing the part of a trumpeter named Levee.
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On Monday afternoon, Netflix unveiled the first trailer for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, showing off the immense talents of Davis, Boseman, and the rest of the cast. Take a look in the video at the top of the page.
In addition to Davis and Boseman, who are already being talked about as contenders for acting awards this year, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom stars Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Taylour Paige, and Dusan Brown. Directed by George C. Wolfe and adapted for the screen by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, the film is produced by Fences Oscar nominees Denzel Washington and Todd Black.
You can check out the official synopsis for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom below.
“Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary ‘Mother of the Blues,’ Ma Rainey (Academy Award winner 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 revealing truths that will forever change the course of their lives.”
What did you think of the first trailer for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom? Are you looking forward to seeing the film on Netflix later this year? Let us know in the comments!
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is set to be released on December 18th, only on Netflix.
