Having made an auspicious, audacious debut as a director with One Night In Miami, Regina King is following that up with a new acting gig. She's signed on to star in the story of Shirley Chisholm, America's first Black congresswoman.
John Ridley is writing and directing the film, currently called Shirley (though we could see that changing in the wake of the Elisabeth Moss-starring drama of the same name from last year), which tracks the dynamic presidential campaign launched in 1972 by Chisholm. Ridley has the rights to her life thanks to an exclusive deal with her estate.
"Shirley Chisholm’s fearless determination has been an inspiration to so many of us, and with this film we hope to inspire many generations to come," says King. "To collaborate once again with my friend and mentor, John Ridley, and the team at Participant, makes this decade-long journey even sweeter.”
"Regina’s passion for bringing a complete and very human portrait of Shirley to life has been evident since literally the day we first met," Ridley comments. "I’m very thankful to both Regina and Reina trusting me to partner in telling the story of this truly remarkable individual."
This isn't the first time Chisholm has been brought to screens – Uzo Aduba played her in TV's Mrs America, while Black Panther's Danai Gurira is attached to another biopic called The Fighting Shirley Chisholm.