Netflix released the official trailer for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, featuring Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman in his final movie role. Directed by George C. Wolfe, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is based on August Wilson's 1982 Tony-nominated play about the legendary blues singer Gertrude "Ma" Rainey. The Netflix film, which is due to debut on the streamer, December 18, stars Viola Davis as the titular African-American musician. She pioneeringly challenges Black artists' exploitation in the recording industry by confronting her music producer and manager. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom also features Chadwick Boseman as Levee, a character that wraps up Boseman's illustrious film career.
Boseman died on August 28, 2020, after a four-year-long battle with colon cancer. Boseman filmed several TV shows and movies while he was undergoing chemotherapy and surgeries. Shortly after Boseman's death, Netflix dropped the first-look images from Ma Rainey's Black Bottom before debuting the film's character posters. And now the streamer has also unveiled the official trailer for Boseman's final performance.
Netflix revealed the first trailer for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, drawing attention to Davis and Boseman's respective characters in the Denzel Washington produced film. The trailer first sets up Davis as Ma, who administers her band affairs with an iron fist. Boseman's Levee is an aspiring trumpeter who has his eyes set on Ma's girlfriend.
Apart from emphasizing Davis and Boseman's character, the Ma Rainey's Black Bottom trailer also takes a look at the period film's ensemble, which includes Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, Taylor Paige, Michael Potts, Jonny Coyne, Jeremy Shamos, Dusan Brown, and Joshua Harto. Boseman and Davis are the trailer's main focus, each delivering powerful performances in a multitude of clips.
The trailer for Wolfe's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is extravagant, hard-hitting, and by all means, unblemishedly dramatic. By the looks of the trailer, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom very carefully adheres to the nuances of the 1920s. The classic costumes, the dazzling stage performances, the vintage studio set-up, and the mannerisms are all faithful to the era.
As for Boseman, he delivers an absolutely knockout performance as the conflicted-yet-enterprising Levee. His equation with the virtuoso Davis accounts for a one-of-a-kind-show, that will celebrate Boseman's incredible dramatic chops as he butts heads with Ma. Fans of the beloved star are definitely in for a treat once Ma Rainey's Black Bottom hits Netflix.
Source: Netflix