Tessa Thompson is stepping onto a Broadway stage for the first time, and she is doing it with a story that refuses to let go.
A newly released trailer for “The Fear of 13” offers a stark preview of the drama set to begin performances March 19 at the James Earl Jones Theatre. The play officially opens April 15 for a 16-week limited run.
Thompson, known for film roles in “Creed” and the Marvel universe, plays Jackie, a prison volunteer. She forms an unexpected connection with Nick Yarris, portrayed by Adrien Brody. Both actors are making their Broadway debuts with the production.
The trailer frames Thompson’s Jackie as calm but unflinching. Her scenes suggest a woman who listens closely, even when the answers are painful.
Brody’s character, meanwhile, appears restless and haunted, pinned to the limits of a prison cell. His voice drives much of the preview as the stakes become clear. “I always knew I was innocent,” Brody says in the trailer.
A True Story with a Long Shadow
“The Fear of 13” is based on the real-life case of Nick Yarris, who was convicted in Pennsylvania in 1982. He was sentenced to death for a crime he maintained he did not commit. After spending 22 years on death row, DNA evidence helped clear him, and he was released in 2004.
The stage play is written by Lindsey Ferrentino and directed by Tony Award winner David Cromer.
It also draws from the 2015 documentary of the same name, directed by David Sington.
In the trailer, the story moves like a confession unfolding in real time. It suggests that Yarris’ survival depends as much on imagination as endurance. “This is how I stayed alive,” Brody says, speaking with sharp urgency.
The Broadway run is presented in partnership with the Innocence Project, an organization known for fighting wrongful convictions.
The show also arrives with momentum from overseas. The play premiered at London’s Donmar Warehouse in 2024, with Brody in the lead role. Both Brody and the play earned Olivier nominations.
The trailer does not offer easy catharsis. Instead, it builds tension through silence and restraint.
Thompson’s presence feels deliberate, not showy. Her character seems to push the story forward by refusing to look away.
On Broadway this spring, “The Fear of 13” may ask the hardest question in the simplest form: What does freedom really mean when the past will not loosen its grip?