Amazon has been on a roll the last few years with some of its movie and TV releases. Huge hits like The Boys, which is recieving a Season 4, and The Summer I Turned Pretty have brought viewers back week after week, while movies such as Air and more have captivated audiences around the world. And now, another film is set to premiere in 2023 – The Burial.
The latest Prime Video original film, featuring Jamie Foxx in the lead role, is one of the big upcoming releases that fans of the platform need to look out for. From the release date to what the story is going to be about, here is what we know so far about The Burial.
What Is The Burial Release Date?
The Burial has a release date of sometime in October 2023. This was confirmed by an Amazon video that was released on YouTube during July 2023's Prime Day that featured several upcoming movies and shows for the streaming site, including The Burial.
Also announced in July 2023 was that The Burial is going to premiere at TIFF, via Prime Video's Instagram. TIFF, otherwise known as the Toronto International Film Festival, is going to occur from September 7th to September 17th, 2023, according to the official website. So, this means that the movie will first be shown to attendees at the festival before making its way over to the streamer for the general public at some point in October.
While we don’t have a set release date just yet, it is exciting that we know for sure it’s coming out in October, and we can add it to our 2023 movie release schedule. There are plenty of great film releases during the same time, such as Damsel on Netflix, starring Millie Bobby Brown, as well as other big films, like Kraven the Hunter, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson. I’m glad to see The Burial among those picks.
Jamie Foxx Stars In The Movie
With every major movie, there’s always a star who holds our attention with their captivating acting performance. For The Burial, Jamie Foxx takes on that role, according to the official press site for the upcoming film.
Foxx has experienced an eventful couple of years in regards to his work in the movie industry. He reprised his role as Electro in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home many years after his first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014.
The actor also starred in the Netflix film, Day Shift, in 2022 and had a supporting role in the action thriller, God is a Bullet, and he was also a part of the They Cloned Tyrone cast, which just released on Netflix in July 2023. To hear that he is also going to be in another movie later this year brings me joy. When I think of a legendary modern-day actor, he’s always one of the first that comes to mind.
Tommy Lee Jones, Jurnee Smollett And More Will Co-Star
While Jamie Foxx is the main star of The Burial, there are several other stars who have been confirmed for the cast. The streamer has revealed that Tommy Lee Jones, Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie, Pamela Reed, Bill Camp, and Alan Ruck will all have roles in the movie alongside Foxx.
Most of their characters haven’t been revealed, but we know that Foxx is playing the main character, Willie Gary, and that Jones is going to play Jeremiah O’Keefe.
Two other cast members were announced as well. Announced by Deadline were Billy Slaughter, who signed onto the film in March 2022 (with his character also currently unknown), while May of the same year saw Deadline report that Lance E. Nichols has a role in the movie, and will play Judge Graves.
All these actors are such great picks. We have some legends here that are coming back for this movie, like Jones, who has appeared in so many amazing films. Ruck joining is also a big deal, considering he just wrapped up his time with the Succession cast. Reed is a big gain for The Burial, as she has been in the business for several decades, and it’s exciting to see her in a new role.
Athie has been consistent in his work over the last few years, from a starring role in the short-lived Netflix series, Archive 81, which was genuinely creepy, to his starring voice role in the well-reviewed Pixar film, Elemental. Jurnee Smollett appeared in the HBO original series, Lovecraft Country in 2020, and was in the Netflix original film, Spiderhead, in 2022.
Truly, the cast of The Burial is full of talent, and now we're going to get to see everyone all together in one movie.
The Burial Is Based On The True Story Of Willie Gary
With a name such as The Burial, you might be wondering exactly what this movie is going to be about. Thankfully, we already know.
The Burial is based on the true story of Willie Gary, and the official logline tells us we'll follow the tale of Jeremiah O’Keefe, a funeral home owner who has a business deal that ends up causing more trouble than he thought it would. So, he decides to enlist a “smooth-talking” attorney named Willie E. Gary in order to find a way to save his business.
The story written up in The New Yorker back in 1999, and the film is a legal drama that discusses not only corruption within the workplace but how race impacts employees' lives as well. To be honest, it sounds like a great movie already – so I’m eager to see what happens next.
Maggie Betts Directed The Feature
Last but not least, we know that Maggie Betts directed the feature, as mentioned by Prime Video. Betts has worked on several movies before, including her 2010 documentary, The Carrier, the 2014 film, Engram, and the 2017 drama movie, Novitiate.
While many of her movies have been independent films, this one will be available easily for all, so I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of her work after The Burial is released.
We only have a few months to wait now, and I can only wonder what The Burial will bring in terms of drama. All I know is that I’m going to be seated on my couch ready to watch. I can’t wait.
