While the 1951 adaptation of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman earned five Academy Award nominations, there has yet to be a definitive version on the big screen. But that could be about to change given the insane amount of talent on a new production from Focus Features and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment.
Deadline reports Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright and Oscar winner Octavia Spencer will star in Death of a Salesman from Till and Clemency director Chinonye Chukwu. As if that wasn’t enough, the film will have a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning playwright Tony Kushner.
Wright will take on the iconic role of aging salesman Willy Loman as he struggles with marriage, unemployment, a complicated relationship with his son, and a failed attempt to achieve the American Dream. Spencer will play his long-suffering wife, Linda.
A modern take on Death of a Salesman, seen from a Black perspective, could be very interesting. It’s a tough play to adapt in a way that doesn’t feel stagey, but Chukwu is a very good filmmaker with a cast that can make anything engaging. If it could be done with Fences and The Piano Lesson, it can be done here, too.
