with the knife. Cutler and Slow Drag leave in horror as a regretful Levee cradles Toledo's corpse. Later, Sturdyvant records Levee's songs with a band consisting entirely of white musicians (supposedly Paul Whiteman's Orchestra). Cast Chadwick Boseman as Levee Green Viola Davis as Ma Rainey Maxayn Lewis as Ma's singing voice. Glynn Turman as Toledo Colman Domingo as Cutler Michael Potts as Slow Drag Jonny Coyne as Mel Sturdyvant Taylour Paige as Dussie Mae Jeremy Shamos as Irvin Dusan Brown as Sylvester Joshua Harto as Policeman Quinn VanAntwerp as Band Singer Production Denzel Washington initially had a deal with the television network HBO to produce nine of the playwright August Wilson's plays into films, with Ma Rainey's Black Bottom among them. By June 2019, the deal had been moved to Netflix. Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, and Michael Potts had been cast in the film, with George C. Wolfe set to direct. In July 2019, Taylour Paige, Jonny Coyne, Jeremy Shamos, and Dusan Brown joined the cast of the film. Maxayn Lewis did most of Rainey's singing for Davis. Jeffrey Wright was originally expected to join the film. Filming commenced on July 8, 2019 in Pittsburgh, with sets converted into 1927 Chicago, and wrapped on August 16, 2019. On August 28, 2020, Boseman died of colon cancer during post-production, making Ma Rainey's Black Bottom his final film appearance. The film is dedicated to him. Release The film was theatrically released in select theaters on November 25, 2020, before beginning to stream on December 18, on Netflix. Netflix also released a 31-minute making-of documentary Ma Rainey's Black Bottom: A Legacy Brought to Screen alongside the film. Upon its digital release to Netflix, the film was the most-watched item over its opening weekend. Reception Critical response On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 97% based on 301 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Framed by a pair of powerhouse performances, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom pays affectionate tribute to a blues legend — and Black culture at large." According to Metacritic, which compiled 46 reviews and calculated a weighted average score of 87 out of 100, the film received "universal acclaim". For the Los Angeles Times, Justin Chang wrote "Boseman, evincing the same integrity he clung to his entire career, refuses to soft-pedal the destination. He imparts to this seething, shattered