Disney completely shifted their release calendar for the next few years and while most of the attention was on the various MCU-related delays and Mahershala Ali's Blade going on hold, it did give a date for when the curtain will open on Kelvin Harrison Jr's performance as composer Joseph Bologne. Chevalier will now see Harrison Jr. dazzle audiences as the Chevalier de Saint-Georges amidst his rise to prominence in French society on April 7, 2023.
Chevalier follows the forgotten yet incredible life and times of Bologne, the illegitimate son born of an African slave and a French plantation owner who rose to prominence as the first-known classical composer of African descent. Thanks to his prodigious musical skills from a young age, his father enrolls him in a prestigious academy where he honed his craft, though it also exposed to him to endless abuse and racism for being Black. He'd grow into a renowned fencer and violinist, rising above the racism to join the inner-circle of Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton) until an ill-fated love affair and a falling out with Antoinette jeopardize his position in French society.
Coming out of the Toronto International Film Festival where it made its debut, the film was relatively well received with the highlight in many critics' eyes being its star Harrison Jr. Coming off of playing another musical icon in the legendary B.B. King for Baz Luhrman's Elvis, Harrison Jr. had the daunting task of breathing life into the classical icon and, by all accounts, he succeeded. Rotten Tomatoes has the film at 93% with Harrison the main point of praise, though it also features a star-studded cast around him. Aside from Boynton, Samara Weaving, Minnie Driver, Marton Csokas, and Alex Fitzalan also star in the film.
Chevalier hails from Stephen Williams who more recently has forgone making feature productions in favor of producing and directing episodes for series like Watchmen, Westworld, and Ray Donovan. It also marked a return to TIFF for him as he last appeared at the festival with his debut film Soul Survivor back in 1995. He teamed with Atlanta writer and producer Stefani Robinson to bring her vision to life in what is her first time writing for a feature. She's also penned several episodes of another hit FX show in What We Do in the Shadows. Robinson also produced the film with the help of Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, and Diane McGunigle.
Chevalier will premiere in theaters on April 7, 2023. For now, check out an interview Collider conducted with Harrison Jr. last year regarding his turn as the Chevalier de Saint-Georges and his film Monster on Netflix.