Yahoo Movies American Horror Story and Pose star Billy Porter lands next lead movie role
Billy Porter has landed his next lead movie role as real-life icon James Baldwin.
The Pose and American Horror Story star is also set to co-write the as-yet-untitled biopic alongside Fruits of Thy Labor's Dan McCabe (via Deadline).
The movie is based on the book James Baldwin: A Biography by David Leeming (a friend of Baldwin's), which explores the late writer and cultural icon's complex life, including his quest for happiness and battle for Black identity and racial justice.
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Baldwin, who was gay and African-American, wrote many acclaimed works that explored themes such as racial and sexual identity, including Giovanni's Room and If Beale Street Could Talk – the latter of which was adapted into the acclaimed 2018 movie.
He was also well known as an orator, particularly at the height of the civil rights movement in the mid-20th century.
“As a Black queer man on this planet with relative consciousness I find myself, like James Baldwin said, ‘in a rage all the time’. I am because James was,” Porter said. “I stand on James Baldwin’s shoulders, and I intend to expand his legacy for generations to come.”
Related: First trailer for Pose star Billy Porter's directorial debut with Hamilton star
“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," added Allen Media Group’s founder, chairman and CEO Byron Allen.
Porter is perhaps best known for his breakout role in Pose as Pray Tell, for which he made history at the Emmys as the first gay Black man to be nominated for and win in any lead category.
He also starred in American Horror Story: Apocalypse as Behold Chablis and appeared in 2021's Cinderella as the Fabulous Godmother.
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