The Piano Lesson – Netflix Reveals New Trailer and Release Date

A brand new film is heading to Netflix based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by August Wilson.

The Piano Lesson , set to premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, will be the feature directorial debut of Malcolm Washington and follows the Charles family as they decide what to do with a beloved heirloom: the family piano.

Adapted from Wilson's play, the screenplay was co-written by Washington and Virgil Williams and will star Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Skylar Aleece Smith, Erykah Badu and Corey Hawkins.

Netflix has unveiled the first trailer ahead of the film's trip to Toronto, which opens with John David Washington sitting beside Skylar Smith at the piano as the two lovingly hold it.

Washington says, "You feel that? That's your family", and a striking montage follows moments from the film that has awards experts speculating it could be a big contender at the 2025 Academy Awards.

The trailer also reveals that the film will be heading to select theaters in November and be available on the streaming service on November 22, 2024.

The official synopsis of the film from Netflix reads:

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 Washington) 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. Jackson) tries to mediate, but even he can’t hold back the ghosts of the past.

The Piano Lesson was produced by Denzel Washington and Todd Black, alongside executive producers Christopher Miller, Constanza Romero Wilson, Jennifer Roth, and Katia Washington.