Colman Domingo Embodies an Unsung Civil Rights Hero in First Trailer for ‘Rustin’ (Video)

The first trailer for “Rustin” has arrived. The Netflix original film stars the magnetic Colman Domingo as Bayard Rustin, the gay civil rights activist who helped Martin Luther King, Jr. and others organize the 1963 March on Washington.

The film was directed by George C. Wolfe, a five-time Tony Award winner (his last film was 2020’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” also for Netflix) and produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions. The script was written by Julian Breece and Dustin Lance Black (who won a Best Screenplay Oscar for a film about another civil rights activist, “Milk”).

Rustin was, in real life, a close advisor of Martin Luther King, Jr., who wrote of Rustin: “We are thoroughly committed to the method of nonviolence in our struggle and we are convinced that Bayard’s expertness and commitment in this area will be of inestimable value.” Because of Rustin’s sexuality, which included multiple arrests, his story was somewhat sidelined from the conversation at the time. But his importance as a historical figure (and a man) is being rightfully celebrated with the film.

Domingo is one of the most versatile and interesting performers working today, appearing in everything from HBO’s “Euphoria” and AMC’s “Fear the Walking Dead” to lending his voice to “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (as a planet-eating super-baddie). He is also a celebrated writer and director. Domingo can be seen later this year in Warner Bros.’ “The Color Purple.”

Chris Rock, Glynn Turman, Aml Ameen, Gus Halper, CCH Pounder, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Johnny Ramey, Michael Potts, Jeffrey Wright, Bill Irwin and Audra McDonald also star.

“Rustin” is scheduled to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 13, with a limited theatrical run beginning on Nov. 3 and a streaming date of Nov. 17.

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