One of the standout films coming out of Sundance was without a doubt, “Native Son.” From the moment the film was announced last year, with its incredible cast, visionary first-time director Rashid Johnson, and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Suzan-Lori Parks, to its debut at the 2019 festival, all eyes have been on the A24 production. And now, thanks to HBO, viewers won’t even have to leave their house to see the film, when it premieres in April.
In the first full trailer for the film, based on the acclaimed Richard Wright novel of the same name, we meet Bigger Thomas, a young Black man trying to get by in Chicago. After landing a cush job as a chauffeur for a wealthy businessman, Big’s life gets turned upside down as he’s dragged into a potentially deadly situation with the businessman’s daughter.
READ MORE: ‘Native Son’ Sadly Proves Its Still Relevant 80 Years After Publication [Sundance Review]
The film stars Ashton Sanders, Margaret Qualley, Bill Camp, Nick Robinson, KiKi Layne, Elizabeth Marvel, David Alan Grier, and Sanaa Lathan.
“Native Son” premieres on HBO on Saturday, April 6.
Here’s the synopsis:
NATIVE SON tells the story of Bigger Thomas (Ashton Sanders), a young African-American living in Chicago who is hired as a chauffeur for affluent businessman Will Dalton (Bill Camp, Emmy®-nominee for HBO’s “The Night Of”). As Thomas enters this seductive new world of money and power — including a precarious relationship with Dalton’s daughter, Mary (Margaret Qualley, HBO’s “The Leftovers”) — he faces unforeseen choices and perilous circumstances that will alter the course of his life forever. The cast also includes Nick Robinson, KiKi Layne, Elizabeth Marvel, David Alan Grier and Sanaa Lathan.