Steven Spielberg has revealed that he almost cast Colman Domingo in an earlier, abandoned film project centered on Ira and George Gershwin and the making of Porgy and Bess. Speaking on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast, Spielberg said he had developed a script, begun casting, and met several actors for the project, including Domingo. He recalled that Domingo was his first meeting for the role of Todd Duncan, the real-life singer and actor who originated the title role of Porgy on Broadway.
Spielberg said he had intended to cast Domingo after that meeting, but ultimately stepped back from the project after having second thoughts once the film was already far along in development. According to Spielberg, that decision was the only reason he and Domingo did not collaborate at the time. The director described the project as one he had been excited about before choosing not to continue.
Porgy and Bess is one of the most famous American operas, based on the play by Dorothy and DuBose Heyward, which in turn was adapted from DuBose Heyward’s 1925 novel. The story follows Porgy, a disabled Black beggar in Charleston, as he tries to rescue Bess from an abusive relationship and a drug dealer. The work later became a 1959 Samuel Goldwyn-produced film starring Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge.
Although the Gershwin film never moved forward, Spielberg later found a way to work with Domingo. He cast the actor in Lincoln in 2012, where Domingo played Private Harold Green. The two also connected again on The Color Purple in 2023, which Spielberg produced. Their collaborations came years after the unrealized Porgy and Bess project first brought them together.
Spielberg also spoke about his interest in adapting stage works for the screen, pointing to his 2021 version of West Side Story as another major example. That film received seven Academy Award nominations and won one Oscar, with Ariana DeBose taking home the award for Best Supporting Actress. The comments highlight Spielberg’s long-running fascination with musical and theatrical material, even when some projects never make it to production.
The revelation adds a new layer to Spielberg’s history with Domingo, showing that their professional relationship began with a project that never happened. While the planned Porgy and Bess film was shelved, it opened the door to later collaborations and underscored Spielberg’s continued interest in bringing stage stories to the screen.
