Netflix has released the official trailer for Dave Chappelle’s newest comedy special, “The Dreamer.”
The trailer is narrated by Morgan Freeman, who also makes an appearance alongside Chappelle.
“What do you dream about? Not the dreams you have in your sleep: the ones you hold in your heart. Don’t be intimidated by the audacity of your dream — be inspired by it,” Freeman says in the trailer. “What happens to a dream deferred? Lucky for Dave, he doesn’t know.”
“The Dreamer,” which was shot in Chappelle’s hometown of Washington, D.C., at the Lincoln Theatre, marks Chappelle’s seventh special with Netflix. Stan Lathan, who directed Chappelle’s six other specials for the streamer, returns to direct “The Dreamer.”
Chappelle became a controversial figure following his 2021 Netflix special “The Closer,” in which he made jokes about transgender people, leading to company walkouts in October of that year. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos originally defended the veteran comedian, saying in a statement that Chappelle is “one of the most popular stand-up comedians today” and “as with our other talent, we work hard to support their creative freedom — even though this means there will always be content on Netflix some people believe is harmful.” Sarandos ultimately said he “screwed up” in his reaction to the Chappelle backlash.
Chappelle’s previous Netflix specials include “The Age of Spin” (2017), “Deep in the Heart of Texas” (2017), “Equanimity” (2017), “The Bird Revelation” (2017), “Sticks & Stones” (2019) and “The Closer” (2021).
“Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer” premieres globally on Netflix Dec. 31. Watch the trailer below.