Danai Gurira Will Star as Shirley Chisholm in an Upcoming Film
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Great news from this past week: Black Panther and The Walking Dead star Danai Gurira will star as trailblazing politician Shirley Chisholm in an upcoming film.
In The Fighting Shirley Chisholm, Gurira will portray the titular figure during her 1972 presidential run, Variety reports. Chisholm was the first Black woman to run for the presidential nomination of a major political party. Nicknamed "Fighting Shirley," she had also made history as the first Black congresswoman, elected in 1968.
The film isn't a biopic, Variety clarifies. It will instead focus on Chisholm's historic campaign and the support it received from "young people who sought social and political change during one of the most turbulent times in American history." There is no release date yet, though past reports said the project was slated to premiere on Amazon. Viola Davis was previously set to star in and produce the feature.
Chisholm got the onscreen treatment earlier this year when Uzo Aduba portrayed her in FX's Mrs. America in the context of her involvement in the '70s feminist movement. Aduba won the Supporting Actress Emmy for her performance.
Vice president-elect Kamala Harris also invoked the politician on the campaign trail, mentioning her as one of her inspirations while speaking at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. "Women like Mary Church Terrell and Mary McLeod Bethune. Fannie Lou Hamer and Diane Nash. Constance Baker Motley and Shirley Chisholm. We’re not often taught their stories. But as Americans, we all stand on their shoulders," Harris said.
Gurira's casting follows news that her series adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah, which would have starred Lupita Nyong'o, is no longer moving forward at HBO Max.
You Might Also Like
