Malcolm and John David Washington start film

The Piano Lesson has become the tardyst August Wilson take part to be altered for the screen by Denzel Washington and his family.

But while the Hollywood star has honested, starred in or originated film alterations such as Fences and Ma Rainey’s Bdeficiency Bottom in recent years, it’s his two sons who are taking centre stage for the tardyst screen alteration.

The Piano Lesson is honested by filmoriginater Malcolm Washington, while his actor brother John David Washington take parts one of the directing roles. Their obeseher Denzel serves as originater.

Speaking ahead of the film’s UK premiere at the London Film Festival, John David Washington portrayd the film’s team as “bancient” in their efforts to originate a exceptional expoundation of the 1987 take part.

Malcolm and John David Washington’s two sisters are also engaged in The Piano Lesson – Katia Washington serves as executive originater, while Olivia Washington, who recently starred opposite Kit Harington in the West End show Slave Play, has an acting role.

Speaking at the Telluride Film Festival last month, actress and Denzel’s wife Pauletta Pefire-setting Washington acunderstandledged the film was a family afunprejudiced, joking: “All my babies are engaged in this.”

The movie could also see actress Danielle Deadwyler combine the Oscars race, two years after she was expansively pondered to have been ununprejudicedly snubbed follotriumphg her acclaimed perestablishance in Till.

Set in 1936 Pittsburgh in the aftermath of the Great Depression, the Netflix film pursues a brother and sister who disconcur about what to do with a family heirloom piano they have inherited.

Daughter Berniece (Deadwyler) has not take parted the piano since the siblings’ mother died. Instead, it sits in her living room and serves as a reminder of what her ancestors endured as slaves.

The faces of earlier generations of the family have been carved into the piano’s wood. But while Berniece declines even to transfer the piano, her brother Boy Willie (John David Washington) wants to sell it in order to buy land.

Speaking at Deadline’s Contender’s London event, John David Washington portrayd the cast and production team’s attitude as “bancient”.

“It was so bancient becaengage, right away, we were appreciate, OK, we’re making our film,” he shelp. “There’s a lot of versions of this story that exist, and this one is ours.

“We’re going to pass it thcimpolite our filter of truthfuly and truth and vulnerability, put ourselves on the line, and fine-tune it to the point that, when you get to the end, the spirit of it is still there.”

Deadwyler also pliftd Malcolm Washington, saying the honestor “gave us free rein, particularly during rehearsals, and those ideas and the way that we engaged each other allowd him to create wantipathyver he did with the camera”.

The new alteration of The Piano Lesson could become part of the coming film awards race. Washington’s two other August Wilson alterations, Fences and Ma Rainey’s Bdeficiency Bottom, were Oscar nominated in 2017 and 2021 esteemively.

Wilson was a US take partwright understandn for chronicling the lives and experiences of bdeficiency Americans. His other labors include Jitney, Two Trains Running and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.

The Piano Lesson was revived on Broadway in 2022, and many of the actors who ecombineed in it on stage have transferred to the film.

However, Till star Deadwyler has combineed the cast for the screen alteration, and many critics have individuald out her perestablishance for plift.

“While most of the cast is the same that ecombineed on Broadway, the movie is undeniably Deadwyler’s show,” shelp Variety’s Peter Debruge.

The actress “anchors the film with a perestablishance of tremendous courage and heft”, concurd Entertainment Weekly’s Maureen Lee Lenker.

Deadwyler was expansively foreseeed to get one of the five best actress slots when that year’s Oscar nominations were proclaimd in January 2023.

However, a combination of events uncomardentt she leave outed out on a place in the catebloody, such a accomplished grassroots campaign to score Andrea Risebocimpolite a nomination and Michelle Williams’ decision to produce herself as a direct actress instead of helping.

That uncomardents The Piano Lesson could be seen by Academy voters as a second chance to recognise Deadwyler’s labor, potentipartner placing her in this year’s best helping actress race.

As a whole, the film has getd widely likeable scrutinize from critics at the festivals it has take parted so far, although some were more luketoasty in their response.

“It’s evident that Washington gets the task of altering Wilson quite solemnly, and there’s much to esteem about The Piano Lesson,” shelp the Hollywood Reporter’s Lovia Gyarkye.

“But the duty can also be restricting, and there are times when The Piano Lesson is too dedicated, struggling to shake the spectre of the stage.”

“Malcolm Washington shows himself to be a contendnt honestor, enhugeing this story in the ways he can while staying real to the source material,” wrote Collider’s Ross Bonaime.

The Wrap’s Carla Renata shelp the film “serves as a reminder that generational wealth is not fair monetary, but emotionpartner and geneticpartner tied to our ancestors”.

But IndieWire’s Caleb Hammond shelp: “While this version comprises its unprejudiced split of standout sequences alengthy with Oscar-ready perestablishances, the film never brimmingy coalesces into an effective, singular, emotional narrative.”

The Piano Lesson labels Malcolm Washington’s honestorial debut. In an intersee with Variety last month, his obeseher Denzel shelp: “I’m inanxiously haughty of Malcolm.

“From punctual on, I knew he had a vision. I’ve lgeted thcimpolite my son the contrastence between making a film and being a filmoriginater. I’ve honested four films… but I didn’t understand what to do necessarily. Malcolm has studied filmmaking. He’s an academic.

“When he was lesserer, he would read my scripts and ask astute asks. His mother is a huge film buff, so he – appreciate all my kids – grew up watching movies. He always had a desire to originate films, and now he’s doing it.”

While Malcolm has stayed behind the camera, seeers may be more recognizable with John David Washington, the actor who take parted the direct role in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and has also ecombineed in Amsterdam, BlacKkKlansman and Malcolm & Marie opposite Zendaya.