Amiri Baraka’s ‘Dutchman’ receives yet another adaptation almost 60 years after the release of the 1967 film. The play which was originally presented at Cherry Lane theatre in New York during 1964 focused on the themes of racial disparity during the ‘Civil Rights Movements’ in America. The story follows Clay, a 20 year old Black man and Lula, a 30 year old White woman who engages in seemingly harmless flirtation in a New York subway which escalates into a violent conclusion. Upon its premiere, the play was an instant hit, winning an Obie Award and proceeding to be revived on 2007 with an entirely new cast. With a simple setting, the play directs the audience to the turmoil that emerged between Blacks and Whites at the time. The film adaptation of the play, released with the same title in 1967 was also met with positive reviews.
Now, a new adaption of the play is underway, with Andre Gaines potentially directing the film. Andre Gaines is an American director/ producer who is known his work in ‘The One and Only Dick Gregory’ and ‘Brazilian Western’ among others. Supposedly starring in this upcoming predicted hit is Hollywood’s very own Zazie Beetz, André Holland, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Kate Mara. Zazie Beetz, the iconic Domino from Deadpool 2 is also known for her roles in ‘Joker’ (2019), ‘Bullet Train’, ‘Atlanta’ (series) and ‘The Harder They Fall’ (2021). Andre Holland gained word wide recognition for his portrayal of Kevin in the film ‘Moonlight’ (2016) which went on to win an Oscar for Best Picture. Stephen McKinley Henderson is popular for his roles in ‘Lady Bird’ (2017), ‘Fences’ (2016) and ‘Causeway’ (2022). With her rumored upcoming film, ‘The Astronaut’ having commenced its production, Kate Mara is an established actress with several of her performances being noteworthy.
‘The Dutchman’ to Commence its Shooting in New York
The upcoming film adaptation will be titled ‘The Dutchman’ instead and is said to have commenced its shooting in New York on September this year. Seeing as how the setting for the play is a subway in New York. the location does make sense. Joining Andre Gaines in the film are Jonathan T. Baker, Joshua Blum and Han West as part of its production team.
This is predicted to be a chilling psychological thriller that would bring in a new shape to the original play. The first film adaptation of ‘Dutchman’ in 1967 which had monochrome visuals featured Shirley Knight and Al Freeman Jr. in lead roles. Though not much is known regarding who is to play Lula and Clay in the upcoming adaptation, Zazie Beetz, André Holland, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Kate Mara’s combination will be quite enthralling.