Netflix's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is set to be released later in 2020, making the death of Chadwick Boseman all the sadder as the film was very much intended to center Boseman as an Oscar contender, per Entertainment Weekly. It will also be Boseman's last film.
Produced by Denzel Washington and co-starring Viola Davis as Ma Rainey, the movie is an adaptation of August Wilson's 1982 play of the same name. It's set in 1920s Chicago and tells the story of four band members waiting for the singer, Ma Rainey, to show up, and having to appease two white producers. Boseman plays Levee, a trumpet player with dreams of making it big one day. Levee is the central character of the story, as his interactions with other band members drive the story.
Davis mourned her co-star in a tweet, writing, "Chadwick... no words to express my devastation of losing you. Your talent, your spirit, your heart, your authenticity... It was an honor working beside you, getting to know you. Rest well prince."
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