Director Barry Jenkins shows no sign of slowing down after his film Moonlight won the Oscar this year (after a little confusion). His next project is an adaptation of the James Baldwin novel If Beale Street Could Talk, which he has been working on in collaboration with the Baldwin Estate for the past four years.
The novel tells the story of Tish, a woman living in Harlem who fights to prove that her husband is innocent of the crime he has been accused so he may be free before the birth of their first child. Jenkins spoke of his enthusiasm for the project, saying, “James Baldwin is a man of and ahead of his time; his interrogations of the American consciousness have remained relevant to this day,” Jenkins said. “To translate the power of Tish and Fonny’s love to the screen in Baldwin’s image is a dream I’ve long held dear. Working alongside the Baldwin Estate, I’m excited to finally make that dream come true.”
James Baldwin's sister, Gloria Karefa-Smart, is supportive of the film and an admirer of Jenkins' work. “We are delighted to entrust Barry Jenkins with this adaptation," she said. "Barry is a sublimely conscious and gifted filmmaker, whose medicine for melancholy impressed us so greatly that we had to work with him.”
Jenkins will also be creating some work for the small screen, as he is writing and directing a drama series based on Colson Whitehead's book The Underground Railroad.