RaMell Ross Directs Film Adaptation of Pulitzer-Winning Novel 'Nickel Boys'

The trailer for Nickel Boys, the film adaptation of Colson Whitehead's acclaimed novel, has been released.

Based on true events, the story follows Elwood and Turner as they endure the brutal conditions of the Nickel Academy, an institution shrouded in systemic racism and abuse.

In Nickel Boys, Elwood Curtis’ college dream shatters alongside a two-lane Florida highway. Bearing the brunt of an innocent misstep, he’s sentenced to the netherworld of Nickel Academy (a fictionalized version of the Dozier School for Boys), a brutal reformatory sunk deep in the Jim Crow South. There, he encounters another ward, the seen-it-all Turner. The two Black teens strike up an alliance: Turner dispenses fundamental tips for survival, while Elwood clings to his optimistic worldview. Backdropped by the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement, Elwood and Turner’s existence appears worlds away from Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s burnished oratory. Despite Nickel’s brutality, Elwood strives to hold onto his humanity, awakening a new vision for Turner.

Academy Award nominee RaMell Ross helms the project, making his directorial debut, and works with Joslyn Barnes, who co-wrote the screenplay. The film stars Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Hamish Linklater, Fred Hechinger, Daveed Diggs, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor. Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine, and Joslyn Barnes produced the film, with Brad Pitt, Gabby Shepard, Emily Wolfe, Kenneth Yu, and Chadwick Prichard serving as executive producers.

What’s striking about this movie is the use of a first-person viewpoint in most of the film, with alternating perspectives between the two leads throughout. Nickel Boys premiered at the Telluride Film Festival last month and is set to open the New York Film Festival on September 27.

The film is being distributed by Amazon MGM Studios and is slated for release on October 25.

Catch the trailer below.