American Son is moving from Broadway to Netflix.
Star Kerry Washington announced the news Monday during her appearance on NBC’s The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.
Rather than taping one of the final performances — the play wraps its Broadway run on Jan. 27 — Netflix will reassemble the cast, director and producers and tape the production without an audience present.
From playwright Christopher Demos-Brown, American Son centers on interracial parents who reunite in a Florida police station to search for answers about their missing teenage son. Washington will be joined by fellow Broadway stars Steven Pasquale, Jeremy Jordan and Eugene Lee, who will all reprise their roles. Director Kenny Leon will return to direct the Netflix performance and produce alongside Jeffrey Richards and Rebecca Gold. Washington and her Simpson Street exec vp development and production Pilar Savone will also produce. Production on the Netflix take will begin in New York in February.
“American Son powerfully explores themes of family, love and identity,” said Cindy Holland, vp originals at Netflix. “We are honored to work with Kerry Washington, Kenny Leon, Christopher Demos-Brown and the entire cast to bring this story from the Broadway stage to our members around the world.”
American Son will see Washington join Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes at Netflix. The Emmy-nominated actress is also readying two other series for Hulu: Little Fires Everywhere (which she and Reese Witherspoon will star in and exec produce) and Old City Blues (which she’ll also star in and exec produce), in addition to exec producing Facebook’s Five Points.
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American Son is the latest Broadway effort to land on Netflix. The streamer also recorded Bruce Springsteen’s Tony-winning Springsteen on Broadway.
Washington is repped by CAA, Washington Square Films and Gretchen Rush. Leon is with CAA and attorney Dorna J. Taylor.
.@KerryWashington announces that @AmericanSonPlay is being adapted for @Netflix! pic.twitter.com/lLPFGKrzX1
— Fallon Tonight (@FallonTonight) January 22, 2019
