Antoine Fuqua is bringing some color to a new film adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ iconic play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof…literally.
Variety exclusively reported that the Training Day director is collaborating producers Stephen C. Byrd and Alia Jones-Harvey for a film version of the play with an all-Black cast. The adaptation stems from Byrd and Jones-Harvey’s 2008 revival of the show on Broadway which was the hot ticket during the time. It made history by including an all-Black cast for a play that’s traditionally filled with white performers. It had a sold-out 19-week run and was the highest-grossing play during that season.
The revival was directed by icon Debbie Allen and featured Terrence Howard, Anika Noni Rose, Phylicia Rashad and James Earl Jones. The original play centers on Brick, a former athlete turned alcoholic, his sexually frustrated wife Maggie and Big Daddy, the ailing and wealthy family patriarch.
“Bringing such a historic production to the screen is an honor I am thrilled to have alongside Stephen and Alia,” said Fuqua in a statement. “They have shown their commitment to the project with two successful stagings on Broadway and the West End and know what it takes to translate this iconic drama from theatre to cinema.”
“We set out to produce groundbreaking, high caliber work on both Broadway and London’s West End with iconic plays, and now we hope to replicate this with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as a film,” said Byrd and Jones-Harvey in a statement. ”We are thrilled to be able to bring this Tennessee Williams classic play to life once again in a new iteration with the acclaimed Antoine Fuqua at the helm.”
