HBO FILMS DRAMA "NATIVE SON," BASED ON THE CLASSIC NOVEL BY RICHARD WRIGHT, DEBUTS APRIL 6 ON HBO

Directed by First-Time Filmmaker Rashid Johnson; Screenplay by Suzan-Lori Parks

The HBO Films presentation NATIVE SON, based on the classic novel by Richard Wright, will debut SATURDAY, APRIL 6 at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on HBO, it was announced today by Len Amato, president, HBO Films. Directed by first-time director and renowned visual artist Rashid Johnson from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks ("Topdog/Underdog"), the drama had its world premiere in January at the Sundance Film Festival.

The film will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and partners' streaming platforms.

NATIVE SON tells the story of Bigger Thomas (Ashton Sanders), a young African-American living in Chicago who is hired as a chauffeur for affluent businessman Will Dalton (Bill Camp, Emmy(R)-nominee for HBO's "The Night Of"). As Thomas enters this seductive new world of money and power - including a precarious relationship with Dalton's daughter, Mary (Margaret Qualley, HBO's "The Leftovers") - he faces unforeseen choices and perilous circumstances that will alter the course of his life forever. The cast also includes Nick Robinson, KiKi Layne, Elizabeth Marvel, David Alan Grier and Sanaa Lathan.

Among the early critical raves for NATIVE SON, Vulture called the film "visually striking" and praised Ashton Sanders' performance, observing, "This is a star in the making," while Entertainment Weekly described it as a "raw, lyrical retelling," and IndieWire termed it "harrowing" and "compelling."

NATIVE SON is an HBO Films presentation in association with A24; executive produced by Stephanie Meurer; produced by Matthew Perniciaro and Michael Sherman of Bow and Arrow Entertainment; directed by Rashid Johnson; screenplay by Suzan-Lori Parks.