August Wilson’s powerful, Pulitzer-winning 1987 play The Piano Lesson has been adapted into a film, with the Washington family at the helm — it’s the directorial debut for Malcolm Washington (who also co-wrote the adaptation with Virgil Williams), his brother John David Washington stars, and their father Denzel Washington is producing. And today, the first trailer has dropped.
Set in 1936 in post-Depression Pittsburgh, The Piano Lesson centres on the possible sale of a piano, passed down through the Charles family, an instrument carved with intricate detail by their enslaved ancestor, and emblematic of generations of Black trauma, loss, and resilience.
John David Washington and Samuel L Jackson, who both star in the film, performed together in the Broadway revival of Wilson’s play by LaTanya Richardson Jackson in 2022. Till‘s Danielle Deadwyler, Justice League‘s Ray Fisher, and The Tragedy of Macbeth‘s Corey Hawkins also star in the film.
In a statement for Netflix, director Washington said, “I honor the spirit of August Wilson and the legacy he left behind for all of us. A legacy that thrives in the power of Danielle Deadwyler’s Berniece, the dynamism of John David Washington’s Boy Willie, and the understated brilliance that is Samuel L. Jackson’s Doaker.
“Every family has a history, stories from the past that inform the present; an origin story. Ultimately this story is much bigger than me and my family — it, like the Black American experience, is an interconnected web of stories that span space and time. I hope that when audiences experience our film, they see themselves on the screen and hear the voices of their ancestors calling to them, offering peace and protection.”
Set to premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), it’s the second film adaptation of Wilson’s play, following the 1995 CBS TV movie starring Alfre Woodard and Charles S. Dutton.
The Piano Lesson is coming to select cinemas on Nov. 8 and will be streaming on Netflix Nov. 22.
