Susan Lori Parks, Pulitzer prize winner for her stage play Topdog/Underdog(2002), is adapting Richard Wright’s Native Son. Bigger Thomas is being brought up to date for 2019 and released this past April on HBO. I am looking forward to this not only because she did the adaptation for Their Eyes Were Watching God, she actually studied under James Baldwin. I usually hate how some books are adapted for film but not so for Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Honey, girlfriend did that. She was lit before we had a phrase for it 😏.
I believe it’s no secret that James Baldwin had issues with the Bigger Thomas character, he felt like he was a stereotype. So what Ms. Parks has done , with permission from the Wright Estate, has reimagined him, and fleshed out Mary’s character as well. I think in the right hands a good novel can be the basis of a phenomenally great film. Their have been two other adaptations the most recent one being Orpah Winfrey’s 1986 version that didn’t do so well.(I think Oprah has recovered since then😂).
Source: Essence magazine May 2019 LA times April 5, 2019
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