First Teaser For Origin May Spark Awards Buzz For Selma Director Ava DuVernay

It's not hyperbole to call Ava DuVernay one of the most exciting storytellers working in film and TV right now. Thanks to her efforts behind the camera on the lauded Civil Rights Movement drama "Selma" and criminal justice system documentary "13th" (along with her equally revered work on the 1989 Central Park jogger case miniseries "When They See Us"), DuVernay has emerged as the leading voice in tackling issues of inequality onscreen. Even her flawed venture into fantasy filmmaking with Disney's "A Wrinkle in Time" was far and above more ambitious and interesting than any other live-action film the House of Mouse has put out over the last decade.

Now, five years after "Wrinkle" opened in theaters, DuVernay is finally back with a new feature film: "Origin." The project is based on journalist Isabel Wilkerson's acclaimed 2020 non-fiction book "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents," which examines the history of systematic inequality across the world, from India's caste systems to the genocides of Nazi Germany and the U.S.'s own longstanding violence against, essentially, anyone and everyone who isn't white. But how do you turn a book like that into a narrative feature film? Well, if you're DuVernay, you do what director Spike Jonze and writer Charlie Kaufman did in the film "Adaptation" and make the book's author a character in the story.

Check out the teaser trailer for "Origin" below!

Intrigued yet? "Origin" casts Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (who was rightly nominated for an Oscar for her supporting performance in "King Richard") as the Pulitzer Prize-winning Isabel Wilkerson herself, and it follows her as she sets out to write "Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents." Per the synopsis, "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."

DuVernay, who both wrote and directed "Origin," will become the first Black female filmmaker to compete in the annual Venice International Film Festival when "Origin" premieres at this year's iteration on September 6, 2023 (a fact that, like similar "firsts" involving women and/or people of color, is really infuriating but deserves to be celebrated all the same). Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash-Betts, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Nick Offerman, Blair Underwood, Finn Wittrock, Jasmine Cephas-Jones, and Connie Nielsen round out the film's impressive ensemble, with Neon slated to release "Origin" in theaters at a yet-to-be-announced date later this year.

Suffice it to say, this is definitely one with awards potential, especially if it goes over well with the Venice crowd. Ava, if you're reading this, just be ready for the standing ovation once it's done screening! David Fincher could give you a few pointers there.

"Origin" doesn't have an official release date yet, so stay tuned.