Michelle and Barack Obama's production company, Higher Ground, announced some big news this week. They have acquired the rights to company's first narrative feature film, Rustin, based on the life of civil and gay right's activist Bayard Rustin. The titular role has been given to Colman Domingo from the recent Candyman reboot and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

The film, which will air on Netflix, will focus on the struggles of Bayard Rustin, who kept his sexual orientation as secret during his time as an influential voice for the civil rights movement. His stance always accompanied a nonviolent approach, even after several violent attacks against him by police and political adversaries. Rustin was also a driving force behind the March on Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Director George C. Wolf, who found critical success with Ma Rainey's Black Bottom last year, will helm the project. The cast also includes comedian Chris Rock, Glynn Thurman who starred in Ma Rainey's, as well as Audra McDonald from The Good Fight. Writing the film is Dustin Lance Black, who penned and won best screenplay for the biopic Milk.

Up until recently, Higher Ground has only presented and not solely produced narrative film's such as Kevin Hart's Fatherhood. Although, the company gained serious notoriety in 2019 when they won the best documentary feature Oscar for American Factory.

This lead role will be a big step in the career of Colman Domingo who has been acting along side greats such as Viola Davis, the late Chadwick Boseman, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Regina King, just to name a few. An openly gay actor, Colman has been quoted about his early years trying out for roles as posted by Enquoted,

When I first moved to New York, I had some colleagues who said I should be my straightest self - whatever that means - when I went into casting offices, but I didn't want to put on an act of what I thought was heterosexual. I just wanted to be myself, and I'm very grateful because I feel like I've been embraced for that.

Powerful words and a further confirmation of how important a voice like his will be to such an influential figure as Bayard Rustin.

Rustin is now in production. 

Tags: obama Rustin biopic movie netflix Colman Domingo