James Baldwin Books Eyed For TV & Film As Fremantle Strike Deals With Estate

EXCLUSIVE: The works of James Baldwin, author and civil rights activist, could be headed to the small and big screen after Fremantle North America struck a deal with The Baldwin Family.

The Fellow Travelers producer has closed a deal with his estate, via Trevor Baldwin, nephew and founder of the Baldwin United Fund, to develop new adaptations of his books for TV and film. Original Productions, the Fremantle-owned label behind Ice Road Truckers, will handle the documentary side of the deal.

It comes ahead of what would be Baldwin’s 100th birthday in August.

Baldwin is the author of books including If Beale Street Could Talk, which was adapted by Barry Jenkins as a movie in 2018, and Go Tell It On The Mountain, which was turned into a TV movie in 1985 that featured Giancarlo Esposito and Ving Rhames.

His unfinished manuscript Remember This House was also turned into a Samuel L. Jackson-narrated documentary, I Am Not Your Negro, in 2016.

Other works include 1956’s Giovanni’s Room, 1962’s Another Country, 1968’s Tell Me How Long The Train’s Been Gone and 1979’s Just Above My Head.

Vintage Books has just released a box set of his novels including Go Tell It on the Mountain, Giovanni’s Room and If Beale Street Could Talk, while Everyman’s Library is releasing a hardcover compendium of Baldwin’s nonfiction, including The Fire Next Time, Nobody Knows My Name, No Name in the Street, and The Devil Finds Work.

If anything materializes out of the deal, it would be the latest literary adaptation for Fremantle, which turned Thomas Mallon’s Fellow Travelers into a miniseries for Showtime starring Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey.

Dante Di Loreto, President of Scripted Programming, Fremantle North America, said, “We are deeply honored to bring James Baldwin’s timeless works to a new generation. We are committed to preserving Baldwin’s legacy while making his powerful narratives accessible and compelling for contemporary audiences. This collaboration underscores our dedication to producing content that entertains and inspires.”