Denzel Washington may be a pillar in Hollywood and Black culture, but his sons Malcolm and John David are carving out a lane of their own thanks to their forthcoming film, “The Piano Lesson.”
Now I know what your probably thinking: who is Malcolm Washington? Well, he’s the youngest son of Denzel’s children who’s been quietly working on his skills and craft for such a project as this one. And while it may come as a surprise to realize that Denzel has yet another talented son (and daughters, looking at you Olivia and Katia), judging by the trailer of his upcoming film—we all are in for a treat.
Slated to hit select theaters this fall before being released on Netflix on Nov. 23, the project is a movie adaptation of the famed 1987 August Wilson play of the same name. In its original stage premiere, Samuel L. Jackson played the role of Boy Willie. Years later, in the 2022 Broadway revival of the play directed by Jackson’s wife LaTanya Richardson, Samuel L. took on the lead role while John David breathed new life into Boy Willie. The two also starred alongside Danielle Brooks. In return, the play earned two Tony nominations that same year for Best Revival of a Play and Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for Samuel’s performance.
In this new iteration, the trailer of which dropped on Wednesday and marks Malcolm’s directorial debut, both Samuel L. and John David will be reprising their respective roles. Additional cast include Hollywood heavyweights such as Corey Hawkins, Danielle Deadwyler, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts and more. Malcom and John David’s dad (yes, thee Denzel) is producing and their other sister Katia Washington is also executive producing making this a legendary family affair. (Not to mention, Samuel and Denzel are old pals, with the former serving as an uncle-like figure for John David—which makes this even more of kinship project.)
Per the film’s official synopsis, the upcoming flick centers on “a battle is brewing in the Charles Household. At the center stands a prized heirloom piano tearing two siblings apart. On one side, a brother (John David plans to build the family fortune by selling it. On the other, a sister (Danielle Deadwyler) will go to any lengths to hold onto the sole vestige of the family’s heritage. Their uncle (Samuel L.) tries to mediate, but even he can’t hold back the ghosts of the past.”
This film also marks the first time the Malcolm and John David are collaborating on a project together. Speaking in an interview with Vanity Fair, Malcolm reflected on what it was like directing his older brother saying:
“Obviously, I’m maybe top three biggest John David Washington fans in the world. In any creative collaboration, you hope to find a shared language as soon as possible and you want shared trust. In this situation, I couldn’t imagine somebody that I would trust more—or completely understand their language—more than my big brother.”
John David echoed similar sentiments, praising his brother for finally taking the reigns of a project like this and basking in the celebration of his achievement now that the film is gearing up to be released.
“It didn’t feel like working with my brother. It felt more like working with the filmmaker that I’ve been a fan of for years. We’ve been wanting him to do something for so long. And when he decided to do this one, when he felt like ‘this is the one,’ it was a no-brainer. I was like, ‘Oh my God, well, here we go,’” he explained.
He later added: “Now that he’s turned in his final product, I think I could support him and celebrate him more as a brother now, which is nice. But when we were in it, it was just me standing with the artist, not necessarily my brother.”
As the trailer began to circulate online, many expressed their excitement for the forthcoming feature:
“I don’t think that I’ve had chills watching a trailer for a film since Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of If Beale Street Could Talk. The trailer for The Piano Lesson did that and then some. I’ve looked forward to this one and I think it’ll definitely be one of the best of the year,” wrote one user on X/Twitter.
“Very excited to see this! Hoping come March 2025, we can say Oscar nominee Danielle Deadwyler, Oscar nominee John David Washington and Oscar winner Samuel L. Jackson!” wrote another.
“Some of you after that trailer: “Maybe we underestimated the Piano Lesson?” Me:,” joked one user.
“The piano lesson trailer is here!! and we are praying academy award nominee danielle deadwyler. competitive academy award winner samuel l jackson,” said another in part.
Whether is garner awards buzz or not, it’s clear that this family affair of a film is one that the people and the culture will be looking out and rooting for.
“The Piano Lesson” is set to screen at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) next month before making its debut on Netflix.