Cynthia Erivo is going from the stage to the big screen. According to Variety, the Broadway actress and singer will play Harriet Tubman in a new biopic, currently titled “Harriet.”
Set to begin production later this year, the film will cover a large portion of Tubman’s life, presenting her as a “slave, abolitionist, Underground Railroad conductor, nurse, spy, and warrior.” Seith Mann (“The Wire,” “Homeland”) will direct from a script by Gregory Allen Howard (“Remember the Titans,” “Ali”).
It’s nice to see Tubman’s story finally being told. She kept going back to help more people after she escaped slavery, made huge contributions to the United States, and is absolutely one of the most important figures in the Civil War era. She wasn’t even given the right to vote, and still she changed history. It’s time that Tubman gets some long overdue attention.
Charles D. King’s Macro company is set to produce “Harriet” alongside Howard, Debra Martin Chase, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, and Kim Roth. Macro, New Balloon, and Stay Gold Features will finance the project. Poppy Hanks, New Balloon’s Elizabeth Koch and Kristina Kendall, Nnamdi Asomugha, and Bill Benenson will serve as executive producers.
Erivo recently ended her run as Celie in Broadway’s “The Color Purple,” for which she won a Tony. She is currently up for the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album and will perform at the awards ceremony this Sunday. Erivo also sings the title song for Amanda Lipitz’s documentary “Step,” Variety writes.
The actress’s previous stage credits include The Town Hall rendition of “The Last Five Years,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “Sister Act.” Erivo has also appeared onscreen in episodes of “The Tunnel,” “Mr. Selfridge,” and “Chewing Gum.” She will star with Viola Davis in “Widows,” an upcoming movie from Steve McQueen.
Davis is also set to portray Tubman. The Oscar-nominated “Fences” actress is starring in an upcoming HBO movie about the activist.
