Broadway play American Son starring Kerry Washington coming to Netflix
Netflix will adapt the recent Broadway production of American Son for its service, with the stage cast reprising their roles, including star Kerry Washington.
Former Scandal star Washington announced the upcoming Netflix adaptation of the critically acclaimed play, American Son, on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Washington, Steven Pasquale (Rescue Me, American Crime Story), Jeremy Jordan (Smash, Supergirl), and Eugene Lee (Thunder Road) will all return to play their roles for the streaming version.
The one-act show centers on an estranged couple who are brought back together when their teenage son goes missing. Together the couple — a black mother (Washington) and white father (Pasquale) — look for answers at a Florida police station.
The show was written by Christopher Demos-Brown and directed by Tony-winner Kenny Leon, who will also direct and produce the Netflix version of the show. The play will close on Broadway after a brief 16 week run on January 27. Filming on the screen adaptation will then begin in February in New York City.
On the play and Netflix adaptation, Netflix Vice President of Original Content, Cindy Holland said,
"American Son powerfully explores themes of family, love and identity. We are honored to work with Kerry Washington, Kenny Leon, Christopher Demos-Brown and the entire cast to bring this story from the Broadway stage to our members around the world."
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This is an interesting acquisition for the streaming service. American Son will certainly garner interest because of Washington and its topical story. However, can plays encounter challenges when adapted for the screen. While American Son only includes four cast members, a screen story would likely require more background players to avoid being too stagey. We’ll see how the play fares as a screen story when it hits Netflix, most likely later this year.
Are you looking forward to watching American Son on Netflix? Share your thoughts in the comments.
(Source: Deadline)