Netflix is making an effort to honor the legacy of the late Chadwick Boseman with a posthumous award.
The streamer confirmed that they will campaign for the late star in the lead actor category for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Variety reported Wednesday (October 21).
A trailer for the upcoming feature debuted earlier in the week.
The film, adapted from August Wilson‘s play, will appear in select theaters in November and hit Netflix on December 18.
Here’s a plot summary: “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 (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 (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.”
The movie was directed by George C. Wolfe and adapted for the screen by Ruben Santiago-Hudson.
Viola Davis will also campaign for best actress. The rest of the cast, including Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, Michael Potts and Taylour Paige, will campaign in the supporting categories, the outlet also reports, adding that there has only been one film in Oscar history to manage more than two Black acting nominations from a film: 1985’s The Color Purple.
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