Boseman, who died in August aged 43 following a four-year battle with colon cancer, stars in the drama alongside Oscar-winner Viola Davis.
He worked on the movie while receiving treatment for cancer. Netflix has shared the trailer for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which is set in 1920s Chicago and explores issues of race, music and the exploitation of black artists.
“I got my time coming to me.”
Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman star in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, from director George C. Wolfe and producer Denzel Washington. pic.twitter.com/8xNf1zaJuz— Netflix (@netflix) October 19, 2020
Davis is seen in the title role as the fiery blues singer Ma Rainey – known as the “mother of the blues” – as she clashes with her white manager.
Boseman’s Levee is out to make his own name in the industry. At one point, he is offered a deal with a white music industry figure, who says of his songs: “I’ll take them off your hands for you.”
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is Black Panther star Boseman’s second film of the year, after he previously played a fallen Vietnam war soldier in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods.
That performance was highly acclaimed.
If Boseman earned a pair of Academy Award nominations, he would be the first actor with two posthumous nods.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is set to launch on Netflix on December 18.
