Back in March of 2022, it was announced that Jonathan Majors was set to star in and executive produce the psychological thriller The Man in My Basement, which is based on the Walter Mosley novel of the same name (pick up a copy HERE) and would mark the feature debut of writer/director Nadia Latif. But then, as we all know, things fell apart with Majors for a while and he was replaced in the cast by Corey Hawkins (The Last Voyage of the Demeter), with Willem Dafoe (Poor Things), and Hawkins’ 24: Legacy co-star Anna Diop signing on as well. The finished film will be coming to theatres and Hulu sometime this fall – and the marketing has begun with the unveiling of a teaser trailer, which can be seen in the embed above.
Hawkins plays Charles Blakey, a man living in the African American neighborhood of Sag Harbor, who is out of work, out of luck and on the verge of foreclosure on his ancestral home. A knock on the door from a mysterious white businessman, Anniston Bennet (Dafoe), brings a bizarre and lucrative proposition; rent his dusty stand-up basement out and receive enough money to clear his debts for good. Once Charles accepts, he finds himself led down a terrifying path that confronts his family’s ghosts and locks the men in a terrifying puzzle, at the heart of it race, the source of their traumas, and the root of all evil. As mentioned there, Dafoe is the title character.
Diop’s character is Narciss Gully, a local academic and antiques expert who is passionate about having African American histories told – particularly the history of African American women. When she meets Charles Blakey and is introduced to what he pulls out of his basement, she realizes his family history may be what she’s always been looking for.
The Man in My Basement is coming our way from Protagonist Pictures, Good Gate Media, and Mosley and producer Diane Houslin’s banner B.O.B. FilmHouse. Andscape is providing the financing, which is why the film is going to the Hulu streaming service, as Andscape has an existing partnership with them.
What did you think of the teaser trailer for The Man in My Basement? Are you looking forward to this movie? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
