Washington, April 9: Actress and writer Danielle Deadwyler has partnered with Alix Madigan and Michael Sherman to develop and produce a feature adaptation of Ann Petry’s The Street, in which Deadwyler is set to star, according to Deadline. Gina Atwater (Westworld) will also pen the script and serve as an executive producer.
Originally published in 1946, The Street is a powerful novel set in World War II-era Harlem that explores the social injustices faced by Lutie Johnson, its central character. Petry’s debut novel was groundbreaking, becoming the first book by a Black woman to sell over one million copies, and it was reissued in 2022.
In a statement, Deadwyler shared her personal connection to the novel, saying, “Ann Petry’s The Street has quaked my understanding of motherhood, Black and American family life experiences, and the emotional turmoil that grows alongside the fading hope and harsh realities of the American Dream.” She described the novel as “essential to American literature,” emphasizing the significance of this adaptation as a dynamic collaboration aimed at bringing Petry’s story to a new generation of audiences. Deadwyler added that the team hoped to “rumble the film landscape” with this adaptation of the novel, which explores the lengths a mother goes to for survival, self, and family.
Madigan and Sherman also expressed their enthusiasm for the project, stating, “We are inspired to be a part of bringing Ann Petry’s harrowing classic to life with Danielle and Gina, and could not imagine better creative collaborators to partner with on this journey.”