Billy Porter to play James Baldwin in new biopic

Billy Porter is to play American James Baldwin in a film based on the life of the American novelist, critic and activist.

The Pose star will co-produce the feature along with Byron Allen’s Media Group Pictures. Porter and Dan McCabe will write the script based on the 1994 book James Baldwin: A Biography.

The project has been a long-held creative and personal ambition for Porter, who is one Oscar short of an Egot (an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony win). The 53-year-old Broadway veteran has long expressed admiration for and connection to the civil rights leader and essayist, whom he quoted during his historic 2019 Emmys acceptance speech.

“As a Black queer man on this planet with relative consciousness, I find myself, like James Baldwin said, ‘in a rage all the time’,” Porter said in a statement. “I am because James was. I stand on James Baldwin’s shoulders, and I intend to expand his legacy for generations to come,” Porter said in a statement.

Born in 1924 in Harlem, Baldwin garnered widespread acclaim in his lifetime for his numerous works spanning theater, poetry, essays and novels, often regarding his experience as a gay Black man in the segregated United States. His significant works include Go Tell It on the Mountain, Notes of a Native Son, The Fire Next Time, Another Country and Giovanni’s Room. Several of his most prominent works have been adapted into feature films, including Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk and Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro documentary.

“Billy Porter and Dan McCabe’s talent and commitment to amplifying James Baldwin’s legacy and contributions are invaluable and unmatched for this unique and epic story,” said Byron Allen, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, in his own statement. Allen will co-produce the Baldwin biopic along with Porter’s Incognegro Productions. A director and more details are yet to be announced.

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