Tessa Thompson & Ruth Negga To Star In Rebecca Hall’s Directorial Debut ‘Passing’

Golden Globe-nominated actress Rebecca Hall is adding the title of writer-director to her impressive IMDB. According to Deadline, Hall has signed on to write and direct an adaptation of the Nella Larsen novella “Passing.” And joining her are two incredible actresses.

“Passing” tells the story about the 1920s Harlem Renaissance and the practice of “racial passing.” Racial passing is the term used to describe a person of one racial group that seeks to be included in another racial group for acceptance. The film will star Tessa Thompson and Academy Award nominee Ruth Negga.

“Nella Larsen’s ‘Passing’ is an astonishing book about two women struggling not just with what it meant to be black in America in 1929, but with gender conventions, the performance of femininity, the institution of marriage, the responsibilities of motherhood, and the ways in which all of those forces intersect,” Hall said. “I came across the novel at a time when I was trying to reckon creatively with some of my personal family history, and the mystery surrounding my bi-racial grandfather on my American mother’s side. In part, making this film is an exploration of that history, to which I’ve never really had access.”

Hall is joined on “Passing” by filmmaker Angela Robinson, who is best known for her recent film “Professor Marston and the Wonder Women” and will serve as executive producer of the upcoming film.

“Rebecca Hall is a brilliant artist who I’ve had the pleasure of working with and I’ve loved the Nella Larson novella, ‘Passing’ since I first read it many years ago. When Rebecca told me about her family history and her passion to tell this story, I immediately signed on to help bring her vision of this incredible book to the screen,” said Robinson.

There’s no word on a release date for “Passing” yet, but Thompson can be seen in the recently released “Sorry to Bother You” and the upcoming “Men in Black” spin-off. Negga can be seen in AMC’s “Preacher” and the upcoming awards-season contender “Ad Astra” with Brad Pitt.