Just to answer the queries I received after briefly writing yesterday that George C. Wolfe’s “Rustin” was now a 2023 release. It’s not official yet, but most in-the-know people have been told that Netflix now sees it as a 2023 release. That also means no fests.
The movie wasn’t even on my radar, but these last few weeks I was starting to notice some including it in their Oscar predictions. The film stars the ultra-underrated Colman Domingo.
Wolfe directed 2020’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and his upcoming “Rustin” revolves around gay, civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, who organized the 1963 March on Washington — the ingredients are most definitely there for prime Oscar bait. I am not entirely sure what happened to it, just that “it’s not ready.”
Netflix pulling “Rustin” out of their 2022 lineup only reinforces what I’ve heard, that “Bardo” is their top priority this season, followed closely by the “Knives Out” sequel. “Blonde” doesn’t even seem to be on the streaming giant’s Oscar radar. There’s also Sebastian Lelio’s “The Wonder,” Tobias Lindholm’s “The Good Nurse,” Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” and John Ridley’s “Shirley”