Source: Bennett Raglin / Getty
On what would’ve been James Baldwin’s‘ 94th birthday, director Barry Jenkins dropped the teaser for his film adaptation of If Beale Street Could Talk.
Based on the book by the iconic writer, the film follows Tish (Kiki Layne), a newly engaged woman in 1970s Harlem as she attempts to prove her fiancé’s (Stephan James) innocence after he is falsely accused of rape. The pressure is increased when she finds out she’s pregnant with their first child. The cast also includes Emmy-winner Regina King as Tish’s mom.
When Jenkins first began writing the screenplay three years ago in Berlin, he didn’t have the rights to the story. Thankfully, Jenkins now has the blessing of the Baldwin estate.
“We are delighted to entrust Barry Jenkins with this adaptation,” said Baldwin’s sister, Gloria Karefa-Smart. “Barry is a sublimely conscious and gifted filmmaker, whose Medicine for Melancholy impressed us so greatly that we had to work with him.”
The film is set to debut this fall but you can see the trailer down below.
