“Training Day” director Antoine Fuqua is set to produce and direct an adaptation of “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof” starring an all-Black cast.
Fuqua’s film version will be based on the 2008 Broadway production of Tennesee Williams’ 1965 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, which made Broadway history as the first production to have an all-Black cast. Directed by Debbie Allen, the 2008 staging starring Terrence Howard and Tony Award winners Anika Noni Rose, Phylicia Rashad, and James Earl Jones sold out its entire 19-week run and was the top-grossing play of the season.
The production was also staged in London’s West End for a 20-week sold-out run where it won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Revival of A Play.
The new film version will combine elements of the classic play along with new storylines.
“Bringing such a historic production to the screen is an honour I am thrilled to have alongside [Broadway producers] Stephen C. Byrd and Alia Jones-Harvey,” the director said in a statement. “They have shown their commitment to the project with two successful stagings on Broadway and the West End and know what it takes to translate this iconic drama from theatre to cinema.”
“We are thrilled to be able to bring this Tennessee Williams’ classic play to life once again in a new iteration with the acclaimed Antoine Fuqua at the helm,” the producers said in a joint statement.
No word on casting or a production start date has been announced at this time.
