George C. Wolfe, director of the critically acclaimed Netflix film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, has already set up another feature with the streamer, titled, Rustin. The film will be produced by President Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions.
Rustin tells the story of the gay civil rights activist and advisor to Martin Luther King, Bayard Rustin, who organized a March on Washington in 1963. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama.
The film will be written by Dustin Lance Black, who won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2008 for his work on Milk. Black will also produce. Wolfe’s film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom has gotten him a lot of attention. The director started his career as a playwright before transitioning to film, although he still directs plays.
Black Bottom stars Viola Davis and features the final performance from the late Chadwick Boseman. It’s received high praise from critics and audiences since its release on Netflix last year. It also received two nominations for the upcoming Golden Globes for both of the stars’ performances
Rustin will be produced by Priya Swaminathan and Tonia Davis for High Ground alongside Academy Award Winning producer Bruce Cohen. There’s no cast attached to the film yet, so it might be a while before we seen anything for the upcoming project.