Netflix drops trailer for Kerry Washington lead American Son

Netflix dropped a trailer for an adaptation of the play American Son. The Broadway cast returns, including Kerry Washington. We’ve got the details!

Netflix is set to stream an adaptation of the Broadway play American Son. Show Snob reported the announcement back in January. Kerry Washington (Scandal) made the news public on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon during the closing week of the play. Last night, during the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards, viewers got to see the first trailer for Netflix’s American Son. You can watch that trailer here.

American Son premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this past September. The Broadway cast all reprise their roles for the 90-minute film adaptation. It takes place in real-time in the waiting room of a Miami police station. Kendra (Kerry Washington) wants the police to give her information about her missing son. But, the overnight desk officer, Larkin (Jeremy Jordan), is reluctant to share any information until Kendra’s estranged, white FBI agent husband Scott (Steven Pasquale) arrives. Things get heated until Lieutenant John Stokes (Eugene Lee) shows up to take control and provide the information that Kendra and Scott desperately want.

Christopher Demos-Brown adapts his Broadway debut for the screen. Tony Award winning director Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun) also returns to direct the screen adaptation. Per the TIFF event page for American Son, the story is for the age of Black Lives Matter. Kendra and Scott are worried that their son may have been the victim of police brutality. All of the characters are bound by the social codes imposed on them.

That is very clear in the trailer. Kendra is leaving her son Jamal one of what sounds like many voicemails. He’s been missing since eight o’clock the night before. Larkin relates that there was an incident, but there’s not much more he can say. He sheepishly apologizes and mentions that he has kids as well. Kendra asks if any of them are black. She knows that the world looks at her son the way the world looks at her: marginalized, disregarded, othered. Jamal’s dad is white and works for the FBI, but should that matter?

I’m excited to see how Demos-Brown and Leon adapt their work for the screen. The single setting, time of day, and heavy rain beg for a noir-like feel. The tension is built-in, but Kerry Washington, Steven Pasquale, and the timely subject matter are sure to heighten the material to the next level. American Son streams exclusively on Netflix starting November 1.

Are you looking forward to Netflix’s adaptation of American Son? Did you see the play on Broadway? Let’s discuss in the comments!