Regina King to star in the biopic of America's first Black congresswoman Shirley Chisholm
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Chisholm, a New York native, in 1968 was elected to the US Congress and ran for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in 1972.
Regina King is set to star in the biopic 'Shirley', a film about Shirley Chisholm, America’s first Black congresswoman. King will reportedly play the titular character.
The 50-year-old Oscar-winning actress along with her younger sister, Reina King of Royal Ties Productions and film company Participant is producing the movie.
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The film will be written and directed by John Ridley, who won an Academy Award for '12 Years a Slave' in the best-adapted screenplay category.
“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,” Regina shared in a statement about the film. “To collaborate once again with my friend and mentor, John Ridley, and the team at Participant makes this decade-long journey even sweeter.”
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Chisholm in 1968 was elected to the US Congress and ran for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in 1972. According to Deadline, the biopic will follow the dynamic presidential campaign launched in 1972 by Chisholm and will provide an intimate, behind-the-scenes portrait of the ground-breaking political leader during a seminal period in modern American history. Filming is set to begin later this year.
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Meanwhile, King, who is receiving critical reviews for most recently directed and executive produced 'One Night in Miami', recently created history buy becoming the first African-American woman to get Golden Globes nomination in the Best Director category.
