Between his appearances on “Euphoria,” “The Four Seasons” and “Michael,” Colman Domingo is already having one hell of a year—and it’s barely halfway over. While none of those titles is an adaptation, he’s appeared in plenty over the course of his career, from an abusive husband in the 2023 version of “The Color Purple” to the beloved Cowardly Lion in “Wicked: For Good.” Let’s take a look at some of our favorite of Domingo’s adaptation roles.

‘Fear the Walking Dead’

More of an inspiration than a direct adaptation, the spinoff series “Fear the Walking Dead” capitalized on the success of its namesake—“The Walking Dead”—producing eight seasons starting in 2015. This AMC series started as a prequel to the original zombie horror series, but eventually began to run concurrently with the primary show, even featuring some of the same characters, such as Morgan Jones (Lennie James) and Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln). 

Domingo played one of the few characters to appear in every season of “Fear the Walking Dead.” He portrayed Victor Strand, a one-time conman who becomes an ally to Kim Dickens’ Madison Clark. Domingo also directed a few episodes of the series. 

‘If Beale Street Could Talk’

Domingo played a supporting role in the 2018 adaptation of James Baldwin’s 1974 novel “If Beale Street Could Talk.” The film stars KiKi Layne as Tish and Stephan James as Fonny, a young couple trying to start their lives in 1970s New York City. Fonny is wrongly accused of a crime just as Tish discovers she’s pregnant with their first child. Domingo plays Tish’s father, Joseph, opposite Regina King as Sharon, Tish’s mother.

The film was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards, and King won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. 

‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’

Based on the 1982 play by legendary American playwright August Wilson, the 2020 film “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” was a critical success for Domingo, along with the film’s main stars, Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman. The film is about the real-life blue singer Ma Rainey (Davis) as she works to record a new album in Chicago. She soon begins to butt heads with producer Mel Sturdyvant (Jonny Coyne) and musician Levee Green (Boseman). 

Domingo plays another musician in the band, Cutler, who grows frustrated with Levee’s disrespect for Ma Rainey. Domingo earned a handful of nominations for his work on the film, including Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and best supporting male categories at the NAACP Image Awards, Black Reel Awards and Independent Spirit Awards. 

‘The Color Purple’

The 2023 musical “The Color Purple” might just be the holy grail of adaptations. It’s based on the 1982 novel by Alice Walker, which was adapted into the 1985 film as well as the stage musical upon which the 2023 film is based. 

Domingo plays Mister, an older man Celie (Fantasia/Phylicia Pearl Mpasi) is forced to marry, separating her from her sister Nettie (Ciara/Halle Bailey). Later in life, Mister regrets his actions attempting to assault Nettie and separating the sisters. To make amends, he reunites the two women and befriends them. The cast of the movie won a number of best ensemble awards—including from the African-American Film Critics Association Awards and the NAACP Image Awards. Domingo also won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture from the NAACP Image Awards. 

‘Wicked: For Good’

Domingo joined the cast of “Wicked” for its sequel film, “Wicked: For Good.” He took on the mantle of the Cowardly Lion, giving voice to a character famously brought to life by Bert Lahr in the 1939 adaptation of “The Wizard of Oz.”

He was nominated along with the rest of the cast for best Cast Ensemble at the Astra Film Awards and Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards. 

‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man’

Domingo took another turn at voice acting, portraying Norman Osborn, who goes on to become the villain the Green Goblin in “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.” In this iteration of Spider-Man’s origins, Osborn serves as a sort of mentor to the young Peter Parker/Spider-Man, voiced by Hudson Thames. The first season of the animated series debuted in January 2025. Season 2 is expected later in 2026 and Season 3 is in the works. 

About the author

Danielle Haynes is the co-founder and co-editor of Booked & Screened, covering book-to-screen adaptations, film and TV development. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” sent her down a rabbit hole reading as many August Wilson plays as she could get her hands on. Can’t recommend him enough.