Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman to Star in Netflix Adaptation of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis are set to star in the Netflix adaptation of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, the streamer announced Wednesday.

Based on the 1982 play of the same name by August Wilson, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom tells the story of Ma Rainey, a blues singer, as she records her album in 1920s Chicago. There, tensions between her, her white agent, her producer and her bandmates rise and begin to boil over.

George C. Wolfe (The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks) is set to direct the film, with Ruben Santiago-Hudson adapting the script. Denzel Washington, who directed and starred alongside Davis in his 2016 adaptation of Wilson’s Fences, will produce with Todd Black (Southpaw, Fences) and Dany Wolf (Into the Badlands). Constanza Romero is set to executive produce.

Alongside Davis and Boseman, Colman Domingo (If Beale Street Could Talk), Glynn Turman (Mr. Mercedes) and Michael Potts (True Detective) round out the cast.

Most recently, Davis starred in Steve McQueen’s Widows, and is also set to star in Amazon’s forthcoming Troop Zero. Her work with Washington in Fences garnered her an Oscar win for the film, as well as a Tony win for their Broadway performance.

Boseman most recently reprised his role as T’Challa in Avengers: Endgame, and is set to star in the forthcoming 21 Bridges and Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods.

Filming on Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is set to kick off in Pittsburgh next month.