Netflix unveiled the first trailer and preview for the upcoming Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom on Monday morning. The film stars Viola Davis and the tragically deceased Chadwick Boseman. The movie version premieres December 18 on Netflix
The popular August Wilson play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom takes place in the late 1920s. The movie revolves around the pioneering “queen of the blues” (played by Davis) and her band members.
Boseman, who died of colon cancer in August, plays Levee, a talented but troubled trumpet player who has an eye for Rainey’s girlfriend and is determined to stake his own claim on the music industry.
Davis had played Boseman’s mother in another movie Get on Up. Davis said, “Chadwick Boseman was just an artist. That’s just who he was.”
Davis went on to say, “I don’t know that people understand the absolute impact of that statement. We are in the business, that a lot of times people have business conversations that masquerade themselves as artistic conversations.
“They don’t understand the difference between getting on set and demanding for their vegan food, or their vegetarian dishes, or the dietary concerns, having that car ready.
“They don’t know the difference between that and making choices as an actor and getting down and dirty and doing the work and leaving your ego and your vanity at the door. He loved it. He demanded it.” Davis added, “He demanded it in every single way.”
Watch the trailer Ma Rainey’s Black Botttom:
