Nickel Boys

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Movie Details

Cast & Characters

• Ethan Herisse as Elwood, a boy who is sent to reform school after being unjustly convicted for helping steal a car
  • Ethan Cole Sharp as young Elwood
  • Daveed Diggs as adult “Elwood,” a businessman in New York City
• Brandon Wilson as Turner, Elwood’s friend at Nickel Academy
• Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Hattie, Elwood’s grandmother
• Hamish Linklater as Spencer, Nickel Academy’s corrupt White administrator
• Fred Hechinger as Harper, a school employee who helps oversee Nickel’s convict labor program
• Jimmie Fails as Mr. Hill, Elwood’s encouraging high school teacher
• Sam Malone as Percy
• Najah Bradley as Evelyn
• Jase Stidwell as Boy at Playground
• Legacy Jones as Girl at Playground
• Ky’druis Follins as Lincoln High Student
• Gabrielle Simone Johnson as Elwood’s Girlfriend
• Peter Gabb as Mr. Marconi
• Bill Martin Williams as Old Man with Cane
• Ellison Booker as Older Guy – Protest
• Taraja Ramsess as Rodney
• Zachary Van Zandt as White Boy (as Zachary Luke Van Zandt)
• Zach Primo as White Boy
• Sean Papajohn as White Boy
• Sean Tyrik as Corey
• Gralen Bryant Banks as Blakeley
• Bryant Tardy as Desmond
• Luke Tennie as Griff
• Trey Perkins as Chickie Pete
• Robert Aberdeen as Mr. Goodall
• Bryan Gael Guzman as Jaime
• Escalante Lundy as Earl
• Noah Craig as Young Boy at Dining Hall (as Noah Jabarie Craig)
• Ja’Quan Monroe-Henderson as Black Mike
• Mike Harkins as Butcher
• Nicholas Stevens as Citrus Grove Stilt Boss
• Rachel Whitman Groves as Nurse Scarlett
• Billy Slaughter as Dr. Cooke
• Lucy Faust as Mrs. Hardee
• Tanyell Waivers as Denise
• Craig Tate as Adult Chickie Pete
• Sara Osi Scott as Millie

Storyline

“Nickel Boys” is based on the historic reform school in Florida, “The Dozier School for Boys”, which was notorious for abusive treatment of students. It’s the story of Elwood Curtis, a young African-American boy who is sent to the Nickel Academy after he is falsely accused of a crime during the 1960s. While there, he meets a boy named Turner, and the two form a close friendship as they try to survive the horrors of the school and its corrupt administrators.

About Nickel Boys Movie

The adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s 2019 novel The Nickel Boys into a feature film was announced in October 2022, with RaMell Ross set to direct, marking his narrative feature directorial debut. Joslyn Barnes co-wrote the screenplay and produced the film, with Whitehead serving as an executive producer. The cast includes Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Ethan Herisse, Fred Hechinger, Hamish Linklater, and Brandon Wilson in lead roles.

With a production budget of $23.2 million, principal photography took place in Louisiana from October to December 2022. Filming locations included LaPlace, New Orleans, Hammond, and Ponchatoula. The office building of the Lafourche Parish District Attorney in Thibodaux was also used as a filming location in early December.

In a distinctive filmmaking approach, the movie was shot in a first-person point-of-view with a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, allowing viewers to experience the plot directly through the eyes of the two protagonists.

Nickel Boys Release Date

The Nickel Boys had its world premiere at the 51st Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2024. It also served as the opening film at the 62nd New York Film Festival at Alice Tully Hall on September 27, 2024.

Originally slated for a limited theatrical release in New York City on October 25, 2024, and Los Angeles on November 1, followed by streaming on Prime Video, the film’s release was delayed. The premiere was rescheduled to December 13, 2024, in New York City and December 20, 2024, in Los Angeles. Amazon MGM Studios also planned to release 35mm prints for the updated theatrical run. The film was released in the United Kingdom by Curzon Film on January 3, 2025.

Budget & Box Office Collection

Awards & Nominations

It was named one of the top 10 films of 2024 by the American Film Institute and received numerous accolades, including a Best Motion Picture – Drama nomination at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards and a Best Picture nomination at the 97th Academy Awards.