Source: Claire Folger / Orion Pictures
After working on the television series
Watchmen,
Succession,
The Good Place, and
Master of None, Emmy Award-winning writer, journalist, and essayist Cord Jefferson releases the trailer for his film in which he made his directorial debut and won the which won the
People’s Choice Award at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival last month (September 8).
American Fiction is Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
Alongside Wright, the film boasts an all-star cast that includes Tracee Ellis Ross (
Girlfriends, Black-ish), John Ortiz (
Fast & Furious, Carlito’s Way), Erika Alexander (
Living Single), Leslie Uggams (
Roots, Deadpool franchise), Adam Brody (
Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Shazam! franchise), Keith David (
Dead Presidents, Barbershop), with Issa Rae (
Insecure, Barbie) and Sterling K. Brown (
This Is Us, Honk For Jesus: Save Your Soul).
Cord Jefferson wrote and directed
American Fiction based on the 2001 novel
Erasure by
Percival Everett. Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios and Jermain Johnson produced the film in addition to Jefferson. Rian Johnson, Ram Bergman, Percival Everett and Michael Bowes served as executive producers.
American Fiction is scheduled to receive a
limited theatrical release by
Orion Pictures through
Amazon MGM Studios on December 15, with an expansion on December 22, 2023. Until that time comes, check out the trailer for the film and some first look images from it below. Be sure to let us know what you think about it in the comments.
