The long-awaited third season of FX’s critically acclaimed series Atlanta will finally premiere this March and fans are anticipating where the story will begin following the cliffhanger in the season 2 finale. With season 2 wrapping up in 2018, the main cast of the show has been busy between seasons, racking up a ton of quality credits to their filmographies.
While fans have seen the cast showcase their talents as actors on the show, their skill easily translates to other projects and mediums. The four main actors found themselves joining big franchises, cult favorites, among others, all to mostly positive reviews. Atlanta seasons 1 and 2 are great for a rewatch in preparation for season 3 but checking out some of the cast’s recent projects will give fans an idea of what they’ll bring to the newest season.
Donald Glover: Guava Island
Series creator and star Donald Glover is the most well-known member of the Atlanta cast and has showcased his talent in multiple mediums from film to music. His experience in both came to fruition when he starred in the 2019 short film Guava Island.
Accompanied by the “Summer Pack” EP under his Childish Gambino moniker, the film follows local island star Deni Maroon as he lives with his girlfriend and inspiration behind his music, Kofi (played by Rihanna). The tropical musical manages to fit in a handful of important messages along with great performances from both Glover and Rihanna.
Zazie Beetz: Joker
Zazie Beetz has found herself in both Marvel and DC properties with her supporting role in Joker, coinciding with the latter. Joker has been seen as a polarizing film amongst viewers, with people criticizing whether its full purpose was realized and what the intention behind the story truly was. Despite this, Beetz, who plays neighbor and imaginary love-interest Sophie, had a great on-screen connection with Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck.
Beetz can portray both a seemingly in-love imaginary version and a real, terrified version of the same character, and similar to Van in Atlanta, she’s a young mom just trying to get by. Joker also features a small appearance from Brian Tyree Henry who plays a desk clerk at Arkham State Hospital.
Lakeith Stanfield: Judas And The Black Messiah
Judas and the Black Messiah had great performances up and down the entire cast list with Lakieth Stanfield earning a Best Supporting Actor nomination alongside his costar Daniel Kaluuya who won the award. Stanfield portrays William O’Neal, an FBI informant and Black Panther infiltrator who led to the assassination of Civil Rights activist Fred Hampton.
The emotional film and role of O’Neal itself were so intense for Stanfield that it led to him getting a therapist. The subject matter of the film is still very touchy to this day but it should not be ignored as it was a turning point in history and is a story that must be told.
Brian Tyree Henry: The Outside Story
In Brian Tyree Henry’s first leading film role, The Outside Story follows Charles who after getting locked out of his apartment faces his neighborhood that he never really got to know.
Many introverts can relate to the story as there are plenty of funny and self-reflecting moments to spare. From meeting neighbors that he’s had for years for the first time to dealing with a recent breakup with his girlfriend, the film showcases Henry’s comedic chops while the character confronts the world and issues that he’d been avoiding.
Donald Glover: Solo: A Star Wars Story
Lando Calrissian is a classic Star Wars character that has been a part of the franchise since The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. Even though Billy Dee Williams has played the character as recently as 2019, he was more than happy to pass the torch to Donald Glover to play a young Lando in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Despite being one of the biggest media franchises in the world, Glover’s performance as Lando is underrated. He was able to match the charisma that Williams originally brought to the character while giving it a unique take. Glover will reportedly reprise the role in a Lando-centered Disney+ series, allowing him to take the character further.
Zazie Beetz & Lakeith Stanfield: The Harder They Fall
As the second film featuring two Atlanta co-stars on the same billing, Lakieth Stanfield and Zazie Beetz are featured in the modern Western film as Cherokee Bill and Stagecoach Mary, respectively.
Both actors make their presence known in a stacked ensemble cast, putting in solid performances as real-life figures who aren’t talked about enough. Fans of Atlanta can appreciate seeing the two in the same project again as they show off their versatility in a world of gunslinging cowboys.
Lakeith Stanfield: Sorry To Bother You
Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You is one of the most unique films of 2018. On top of the social commentary the film provides, it also follows a great story of a telemarketer who gets caught up in his success with Lakeith Stanfield as the leading man.
The film creates its atmosphere with the use of its soundtrack and surrealism and provides a twist that pretty much every viewer won’t see coming. Cash Green pushing himself to the limit for immediate success and alienating the people who were truly there for him are just some of the many concepts that viewers will pick up on in this absolute rollercoaster experience of a film.
Brian Tyree Henry: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
The entire main cast of Atlanta has all extended their talent into voice acting and has shown that even in the animated medium, they can take their characters to new heights. Before Brian Tyree Henry joined the MCU as Phastos in Eternals, his first appearance as a Marvel character came as Jefferson Davis in 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
As the father of Miles Morales, Davis has to come to the understanding that he’ll fully never understand his son. For all intents and purposes, he’s a good father who just wants the best for Miles. Eventually, he learns how to be there for him after the death of his brother and unknowingly watching his son take down Kingpin as Spider-Man. Henry slides into the fatherly role with ease, providing the contrast between his character’s sternness and Miles’ coming of age as Spider-Man.
Zazie Beetz: Invincible
During an era where fans are seemingly getting a new superhero project every few months, Invincible found a way to stand out as an elite superhero series based on the Image Comics series of the same name. Invincible sees high school student Mark Grayson begin his journey as a superhero while dealing with the drama that comes with balancing his life as Invincible and his life as a teenager. Zazie Beetz plays Mark’s girlfriend Amber who constantly gets caught in Mark’s drama.
With the show’s more graphic nature, it allows for more serious topics to be dealt with on-screen without holding back. This also includes superhero politics and what Mark does to navigate through them. This affects his girlfriend Amber who eventually just discovers Mark’s Invincible identity for herself. Beetz is able to bring out and craft Amber’s personality and it’ll be interesting to see how her and Mark’s relationship progresses in season 2.
Lakeith Stanfield: Yasuke
The legend of the first black samurai, Yasuke, is definitely amongst one of the more intriguing stories in Japanese folklore. In the Netflix anime inspired by the samurai, Lakeith Stanfield provides his voice in the titular role.
Aided by the amazing score from Flying Lotus, the show intertwines fantasy and historical elements to follow the legend of Yasuke. While that specific approach to Yasuke may not be for everyone, it’s unique in its own right as the show sheds light on an important figure that many may have not known about before viewing.
