Cast for Netflix’s The Piano Lesson
Netflix has announced the first major cast members which will feature in its forthcoming adaptation of the award-winning Broadway play, The Piano Lesson.
First announced in March 2021, The Piano Lesson is an upcoming feature film from director Malcolm Washington (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), adapting the play by August Wilson, which played its final showing in late January 2023.
Per an updated synopsis, here’s what you can expect from the forthcoming feature film:
“Set in 1936 Pittsburgh during the aftermath of the Great Depression, The Piano Lesson follows the lives of the Charles family in the Doaker Charles household and an heirloom. This family piano is decorated with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor.”
Today, Netflix announced the first batch of actors and actresses who will star in The Piano Lesson, and how many featured in the play will reprise their roles in the movie? Let’s take a look.
- Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Avengers) as Doaker Charles
- John David Washington (BlacKKKlansman, Tenet) as Boy Willie
- Ray Fisher (Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Rebel Moon) as Lymon
- Danielle Deadwyler (Till, The Harder They Fall)
- Michael Potts (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Rustin) as Winning Boy
- Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton, The Tragedy of Macbeth)
Cast grid for Netflix’s The Piano Lesson – Pictures courtesy of Netflix
You can already see a few returning faces from the play here, Samuel L. Jackson, Washington, Fisher, and Potts all featured in the play, but Deadwyler and Hawkins did not.
Also notably excluded from today’s list is Danielle Brooks, who played Berniece in the play, Trai Byers as Avery, and April Matthis as Grace.
Filming will reportedly begin on the new feature film next week (April 17th).
We’ll soon be updating our main preview for Netflix’s The Piano Lesson, which contains a deeper dive into the story and production of the forthcoming Netflix movie, plus also has some exclusive information about some of the additional roles Netflix has been casting for.
As an additional note, given the type of websites featured in the embargo email from Netflix on this news, Netflix already suspects this is a hot contender for upcoming awards seasons.
Will you be checking out The Piano Lesson when it lands on Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.