Jeffrey Wright & Octavia Spencer to star in DEATH OF A SALESMAN film

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/19/25 at 9:22pm

Woah!

https://deadline.com/2025/08/jeffrey-wright-octavia-spencer-death-of-a-salesman-1236492455/

Chinonye Chukwu (TILL, CLEMENCY) will direct and co-adapt the script alongside Tony Kushner. Cindy Tolan, who produced the most recent Broadway revival, is producing alongside Steven Spielberg's Amblin and Octavia Spencer, with Focus Features as the studio.

[Kad]

Posted: 8/19/25 at 9:25pm

That is really exciting casting. And Kushner working on the screenplay!

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/19/25 at 9:33pm

Kad said: "That is really exciting casting. And Kushner working on the screenplay!"

Kushner + Wright together again!

Amazingly, all of Tony Kushner's feature films up to this point have been directed by Steven Spielberg. (+ Mike Nichols' Angels in America for HBO)

[verywellthensigh]

Posted: 8/19/25 at 10:36pm

Is Kushner ever going to write for the stage again?  

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 8/19/25 at 10:37pm

Oh, wow.

[willep]

Posted: 8/19/25 at 10:38pm

Jeffrey Wright is fantastic. Curious to see if/how this affects the Nathan Lane revival that I assume that recent anonymous audition notice was for (with dates fall of ‘26).

[TheOtherOne2]

Posted: 8/19/25 at 11:19pm

This is exciting casting!  I can't wait for this.

[quizking101]

Posted: 8/20/25 at 12:15am

verywellthensigh said: "Is Kushner ever going to write for the stage again?"

Considering he seems to be elevating many stage writings to a screen treatment (see the recent WSS and his AIA miniseries), I think this is a great way of helping theatrical works be accessible to the masses.

I give him points on the scoreboard for that.

[Jeff Tupolski]

Posted: 8/20/25 at 2:12am

Ready for Tony and Jeff to make magic together again

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 8/20/25 at 6:56am

After seeing Denzel Washington in Fences, my dream was to see him in the role. I admit that I was (selfishly) a little disappointed when Wendell Pierce was the first black actor to take on the role in a Broadway production. Fences and Death of a Salesman are so thematically related that I still believe it would have been terrific to see Denzel do it either on stage or on screen. The casting of Wright, however, is very intriguing. He has an amazing depth to his performances that will surely make this adaptation shine. I am really excited for this one.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 8/20/25 at 8:09am

^ I would bet money that Denzel got offered this film first and turned it down…people rarely get their first choices in casting, and often it works out for the best. 

[TheOtherOne2]

Posted: 8/20/25 at 9:02am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "^ I would bet money thatDenzel got offered this film first and turned it down…people rarely get their first choices in casting, and often it works out for the best."

Kushner and Wright have a history, so I would bet that you are wrong.  I also think Wright is better casting than the more (at this point perhaps too) iconic Washington.  

 

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 8/20/25 at 10:47am

Jeffrey Wright is fantastic casting. Denzel would come off as way too cool and charming for Willy.

Love Kushner as a writer, and his screenplay adaptation of West Side Story was really well-done and kind of underrated, but I'm not sure what he really brings to this project. The original script of Death of a Salesman is pretty airtight.

[Jeff Tupolski]

Posted: 8/20/25 at 2:03pm

I think Denzel can tone down his coolness to make it work, but I also prefer Wright for this part. And yes, Arthur Miller’s original writing is basically perfect as it is, so Kushner’s involvement is odd. I’m guessing his work will be less extensive than it was for West Side Story (which he should’ve won an Oscar for). Also guessing that Kushner and Chinonye Chukwu are working to make this adaptation not just a bit of colorblind casting. Curious who they’ll be getting for Biff. Personally, I’d like to see Wright’s Topdog/Underdog successor Corey Hawkins.

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 8/20/25 at 2:20pm

Jeff Tupolski said: "I think Denzel can tone down his coolness to make it work, but I also prefer Wright for this part. And yes, Arthur Miller’s original writing is basically perfect as it is, so Kushner’s involvement is odd. I’m guessing his work will be less extensive than it was for West Side Story (which he should’ve won an Oscar for). Also guessing that Kushner and Chinonye Chukwu are working to make this adaptation not just a bit of colorblind casting. Curious who they’ll be getting for Biff. Personally, I’d like to see Wright’s Topdog/Underdog successor Corey Hawkins."

Yeah, he can tone down his cool and charismatic if the role calls for it - his underplayed take on Macbeth and the vastly underrated Roman J. Israel, esq. both speak to that. But he's also been open about the roles he plans on doing before he retires and Willy Loman was not among them.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 8/20/25 at 4:48pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Amazingly, all of Tony Kushner's feature films up to this point have been directed by Steven Spielberg (+ Mike Nichols'Angels in America for HBO)."

Although Kushner did make some uncredited modifications to previous drafts of the screenplay for the film adaptation of Fences that August Wilson wrote before he died.

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 2/12/26 at 2:48pm

Corey Hawkins & Kelvin Harrison Jr in talks to join the cast

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 2/12/26 at 4:57pm

Doesn’t really matter who was offered the role: an incredible actor landed it with an equally stunning actress. 

Personally, I think Denzel would - somehow - make the part bigger than it should be. Jeffrey will really bring out the quiet moments. I cannot wait for this!

[Voter]

Posted: 2/12/26 at 10:51pm

Corey Hawkins is incredible, the team is strong, this could be really good

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 2/16/26 at 4:27pm

quizking101 said: "verywellthensigh said: "Is Kushner ever going to write for the stage again?"

Considering he seems to be elevating many stage writings to a screen treatment (see the recent WSS and his AIA miniseries), I think this is a great way of helping theatrical works be accessible to the masses.

I give him points on the scoreboard for that."

I give him points on the scoreboard for simply putting pen to paper. That man is a genius of the written word. 

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 2/16/26 at 5:43pm

I have such fond memories of seeing all the shows during the Guthrie's 2009 Kushner Festival.  I do hope we see a revival of The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism With a Key to the Scriptures" at some point in my lifetime.  I enjoyed it at both the Guthrie and the Public and would love to see someone like Comer direct it.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 2/16/26 at 7:13pm

KevinKlawitter said: 
Yeah, he can tone down his cool and charismatic if the role calls for it - his underplayed take onMacbethand the vastly underratedRoman J. Israel, esq.both speak to that. But he's also been open about the roles he plans on doing before he retiresand Willy Loman was not among them."

Not to further derail this thread but though I love Denzel, I was so baffled by his Macbeth. Playing it so small was just completely out of place in such an extremely expressionistic film, his "Tomorrow and tomorrow" was like a damp squib especially with how teed up he was by the staging of the scene. Other actors, particularly Kathryn Hunter as the Witches, seemed way more in synch with the vibe of the movie. 

Jeffrey will be great in this, I'm sure. I wonder if the Wendell Pierce revival had anything to do with this film being developed. 

[Voter]

Posted: 2/16/26 at 9:39pm

Also like Denzel but felt he was weak in an otherwise stellar Macbeth adaptation. Especially next to McDormand, who I thought did career best work, while he got all the awards attention.