Billy Porter has landed his biggest role to date. The actor will portray the legendary novelist James Baldwin in an upcoming biopic.
The Hollywood Reporter states that the Pose star will write the script along with Dan McCabe and it will be based on the 1994 book James Baldwin: A Biography by David Leeming. The film will take viewers into Baldwin’s life and struggles as a Black, homosexual man.
In a statement, Porter spoke about Baldwin and the role he is about to embark on “As a Black queer man on this planet with relative consciousness, I find myself, like James Baldwin said, ‘in a rage all the time.’ I am because James was. I stand on James Baldwin’s shoulders, and I intend to expand his legacy for generations to come.”
James Baldwin was born in 1924 in Harlem and was an American writer and civil rights activist best known for writing about activism, sexuality, race relations, and Black identity. His pieces of work include The Fire Next Time, Notes of a Native Son, Go Tell It on the Mountain, and Another Country.
Some of his books such as If Beale Street Could Talk and I Am Not Your Negro have been turned into movies. Porter’s Incognegro Productions will work with Allen Media Group to produce the biopic.
“Billy Porter and Dan McCabe’s talent and commitment to amplifying James Baldwin’s legacy and contributions are invaluable and unmatched for this unique and epic story,” Allen, the chairman, and CEO of Allen Media Group said in his own statement.
There is no set release date for the film yet, however, we will keep you posted with details.