Director Nadia Latif says adapting The Man in My Basement for the big screen came with its challenges, but working with author Walter Mosley made the process smooth overall.
“I think the biggest challenges with adapting the book were balancing the kind of stranger elements with the character-driven story,” Latif tells GamesRadar+. “I like to think of the film as being half a character study and half a political polemic, and also a kind of thriller with horror elements, and sort of balancing that tonally, I think, is quite a difficult thing. And it’s quite a big departure from the book, which in many ways is, a bit lighter. But also definitely finding the comedy in it.”
The film, which marks Latif’s first feature-length project, serves as an adaptation of Mosley’s 2004 novel. Corey Hawkins stars as Charles Blakey, a struggling Sag Harbor resident who can’t seem to catch a break. As the bank is about to foreclose on his house, a mysterious businessman by the name of Anniston Bennet (Willem Dafoe) contacts Charles out of the blue with the intention of renting out his basement. Naturally, Charles isn’t exactly stoked on the idea of a strange white man living in his basement – but the money makes him say yes. After Anniston moves in, however, things take a turn for the worst – and the result is a genre-bending tale of trauma, race relations, and white guilt. Anna Diop, Tamara Lawrance, and Jonathan Ajayi also star.
Latif co-wrote the screenplay with Mosley, who she said reminded her that it was more than okay for the movie to be different from the book, and become its own thing entirely. Mosley is perhaps best known for writing Devil in a Blue Dress, which became a film in 1995 that starred Denzel Washington and Jennifer Beals.
“Actually fascinating watching it yesterday, I was like, ‘They’re laughing! It’s funny!’ Because the situation is so ridiculous in many ways. I think that was the toughest bit. But Walter made it very easy for me, it must be said. Because he was really, like, take what you need, leave everything else behind. If you wanna read the book, they can read the book. This is the film.
The Man in My Basement had its world premiere on September 5, and is set to hit theaters on September 12. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond.
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