Jeffrey Wright and Octavia Spencer are set to star in a new adaptation of Arthur Miller’s classic play ‘Death of a Salesman’, directed by Chinonye Chukwu and co-adapted by Tony Kushner.
Jeffrey Wright and Octavia Spencer to Star in Chinonye Chukwu and Tony Kushner’s Adaptation of ‘Death of a Salesman’
EXCLUSIVE: A significant collaboration has emerged at Focus Features and Amblin: filmmaker Chinonye Chukwu, known for Till and Clemency, will direct and co-adapt Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman alongside Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner. Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright and Oscar winner Octavia Spencer are set to star.
Cast Details
Wright will take on the iconic role of Willy Loman, while Spencer will portray his wife, Linda Loman.
About the Play
The Pulitzer Prize-winning two-act play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It follows the life of aging traveling salesman Willy Loman as he attempts to mend his relationships with the family he neglected in favor of work. The play explores themes of infidelity, truth, and the American Dream, having inspired numerous adaptations for television with actors like Dustin Hoffman and Brian Dennehy portraying Willy Loman. The 1951 film adaptation featured Frederic March as Willy and received five Academy Award nominations.
Production Team
The film’s producers include Cindy Tolan, Kristie Macosko Krieger from Amblin Entertainment, and Spencer through Orit Entertainment. Tony Kushner will also serve as a producer. Focus Features and Amblin are preparing for the upcoming TIFF world premiere of Hamnet, directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao and based on the bestselling novel, featuring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, set for release on November 27.
Cast Achievements
Wright received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for American Fiction last year and boasts seven Primetime Emmy nominations, including two this year for HBO’s The Last of Us and Disney+/Marvel Studios’ What If…?. He is also a Primetime Emmy winner for his role in HBO’s Angels in America. Recently, he starred in Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme and Paramount+’s The Agency.
Spencer won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for The Help and has appeared in films such as Hidden Figures, Ma, The Shack, and The Shape of Water. She has received multiple awards, including Golden Globe and BAFTA wins for The Help and two Emmy nominations for Lost Women of Highway 20 and Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker.
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Director’s Acclaim
Chukwu won the Grand Jury Dramatic Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for Clemency in 2019, which also earned an Independent Spirit nomination for Best Screenplay.
Screenwriter’s Recognition
Kushner is a four-time Oscar nominee for his adapted screenplays for Lincoln and Munich, as well as the original screenplay for The Fabelmans, which was also nominated for Best Picture.
Representation
Wright is represented by CAA, Strategic Public Relations, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Spencer is represented by CAA and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein. Chukwu is represented by Entertainment 360, CAA, and The Gochman Law Group. Kushner is represented by CAA and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham.
Upcoming Releases
Focus Features has several upcoming releases, including Ethan Coen’s Honey Don’t!, the final chapter of the Downton Abbey franchise, Ronan Day-Lewis’ directorial debut Anemone, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia, and Song Sung Blue, starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.
