How to Watch Ava DuVernay’s ‘Origin’: Is It Streaming or in Theaters?

Dessi Gomez
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Ava DuVernay’s latest film adapts a thought-provoking book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Isabel Wilkerson. “Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents” came out in early August 2020, amidst the racial reckoning in America during the COVID-19 pandemic. DuVernay and her team secured funding in advance after Hollywood studios initially passed on the movie. The Ford Foundation as well as philanthropists Laurene Powell Jobs at Emerson Collective and Melinda Gates of Pivotal Ventures backed the film, now being distributed by Neon.

The story asks the question of what lies beyond race in terms of how the human population divides itself. Wilkerson concludes that there are five main pillars of caste, which she outlines in her book. DuVernay combines what Wilkerson writes about with the journalist and author’s life story.

Fans of Ava DuVernay and/or Isabel Wilkerson may be wondering how to watch “Origin.” We have all the details below:

When Did “Origin” Premiere?

Ava DuVernay’s ‘Origin’ premiered in New York and Los Angeles theaters early in December for a one-week run. The film officially arrives in theaters worldwide on Jan. 19.

Will “Origin” Be Streaming?

The film will remain exclusively in theaters during its initial release. It is unclear where it will land for streaming at this point, but since it is independent of Neon, it may rotate across streamers later on.

What Is “Origin” About?

DuVernay told TheWrap at the 2023 Power Women Summit that the book makes up about 40% of the film, and the other 60% of the film aims to communicate the core tenets of Wilkerson’s book. Wilkerson (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) did not want to write another book after her first one, “The Warmth of Other Suns,” but she felt called to connect Nazi Germany during World War II and the Holocaust, racism in America as well as police brutality, and India’s caste system. DuVernay recreated book burnings from 1933 in Berlin. Intertwined with her argument lie the events of Wilkerson’s life.

Who Is in the Cast of “Origin”?

  • Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (“King Richard”) as Isabel Wilkerson

  • Jon Bernthal (“The Bear,” “American Gigolo) as Brett Hamilton

  • Niecy Nash (“Dahmer: Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”) as Marion Wilkerson

  • Finn Wittrock (“Luckiest Girl Alive”) as August Landmesser

  • Victoria Pedretti (“You,” “The Haunting of Bly Manor”) as Irma Pedretti

  • Jasmine Cephas Jones (“Blindspotting”) as Elizabeth Davis

  • Isha Blaaker (“Fear the Walking Dead”) as Allison Davis

  • Vera Farmiga (“Five Days at Memorial”) as Kate

  • Audra McDonald (“The Gilded Age,” “The Good Fight”) as Miss Hale

  • Connie Nielsen (“Gladiator”) as Sabine

  • Blair Underwood (“Three Women”) as Amari Selvan

The post How to Watch Ava DuVernay’s ‘Origin’: Is It Streaming or in Theaters? appeared first on TheWrap.