Steven Spielberg revealed that he abandoned plans for a film about Ira and George Gershwin and the staging of Porgy and Bess, which would have starred Colman Domingo.
The director shared the details during a recent appearance on Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast. Spielberg said he had developed a script, begun casting and selected Domingo to portray Todd Duncan, the original stage performer who played Porgy.
Spielberg explained that after casting much of the project he experienced a second thought and chose not to proceed. The decision ended the opportunity for the pair to work together at that time.
Domingo later appeared in Spielberg's 2012 film Lincoln and in the 2023 production of The Color Purple, which the director produced. Spielberg went on to adapt another stage musical with his 2021 version of West Side Story.
