‘Origin’ Teaser: Ava DuVernay’s New Drama Is Picked Up By NEON & Will Hit Theaters Later This Year

It’s crazy to think that it’s been nine years since the release of Ava DuVernay’s Oscar-nominated film, “Selma.” And over that time, while she has produced quite a bit and even directed an acclaimed limited series, DuVernay has only released one feature film, the underwhelming “A Wrinkle in Time.” However, it would appear the filmmaker is returning in a big, big way with her new film, “Origin.”

READ MORE: ‘Origin’ First Look: Ava DuVernay’s Adaptation Of ‘Caste’ With Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal & Vera Farmiga Premieres At Venice On September 6

As seen in the new teaser for “Origin,” the film is inspired by the life of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson as she writes the book, “Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents.” The journey to bring that book to life finds Wilkerson traveling all over the world and experiencing various cultures. 

The film stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash-Betts, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Nick Offerman, Blair Underwood, Finn Wittrock, Jasmine Cephas-Jones, and Connie Nielsen. As mentioned, “Origin” comes from director Ava DuVernay, who also wrote the film.

READ MORE: Ava DuVernay Is Making A ‘Matilda’ Animated Series For Netflix, But Just Fired Her Showrunner

“Origin” is playing the festival circuit this fall and will eventually hit theaters, courtesy of NEON, later this year, but an official release date has yet to be announced. That said, considering this is primed for awards season consideration, it would make sense for this to become one of those late-December releases where studios sneak in those high profile contenders. 

Here’s the synopsis:

Breaking ground as the first African-American woman director in competition in Venice Film Festival’s eighty-year history, DuVernay wrote, produced and directed Origin, which is inspired by the remarkable life and work of Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson as she pens her seminal book, Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents. While grappling with tremendous personal tragedy, Isabel sets herself on a path of global investigation and discovery. Despite the colossal scope of her project, she finds beauty and bravery while crafting one of the defining American books of our time.