“Barry,” the new film about a young Barack Obama, got a release date and first teaser trailer from Netflix on Thursday.
The film will premiere on Dec. 16 across all Netflix territories. It follows a young Obama (played by Devon Terrell), known to his friends as Barry, as he arrives in New York City in the fall of 1981 to begin his junior year at Columbia University.
In a crime-ridden and racially charged environment, Barry finds himself pulled between various social spheres and struggles to maintain a series of increasingly strained relationships with his Kansas-born mother, his estranged Kenyan father, and his classmates.
The cast also includes Ashley Judd, Jenna Elfman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Mitchell, Ellar Coltrane, and Avi Nash. Vikram Gandhi, himself a Columbia University alumnus, directed the film, with fellow alum Adam Mansbach writing the script.
“Barry” was produced by Black Bear Pictures and Cinetic Media. Dana O’Keefe, Teddy Schwarzman, Ben Stillman, and Gandhi produced the film. Daniel Steinman executive produced.
Netflix acquired the worldwide rights to the film after it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. This is the latest film about a young Obama to hit the screens in the last year.
“Southside With You,” another film about young Obama, premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. It followed his first date with First Lady Michelle Robinson.