Billy Porter will star as James Baldwin in a biopic about the legendary author, Deadline reports.
Porter, known for his Tony Award–winning role in the 2013 Broadway musical Kinky Boots and his Emmy Award–winning turn as Pray Tell in the FX series Pose, is co-writing the screenplay for the film with playwright Dan McCabe (The Purists). The film will be based on David Leeming’s 1994 biography, James Baldwin.
Baldwin (1924-1987) is widely considered one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. He published his first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, in 1953; Giovanni’s Room, now considered a classic of gay literature, followed three years later. His other notable works include the essay collections Notes of a Native Son and The Fire Next Time, and the novels Another Country and If Beale Street Could Talk.
Porter will serve as a producer of the film alongside D.J. Gugenheim (Vox Lux).
“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. “I am because James was. I stand on James Baldwin’s shoulders, and I intend to expand his legacy for generations to come.”
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
