Vivica A. Fox is stepping into the Oval Office. The “Empire” actress will play the President of the United States in “Crossbreed,” a science fiction film from Jaguar Motion Pictures. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news.
According to THR, “Crossbreed” follows “a group of retired military war heroes who are sent to retrieve an extraterrestrial being from an illegal Medical Facility using its DNA to manufacture weapons.” Fox’s President “was a colleague of the team leader and handpicked him to lead the retrieval mission.”
The indie film, said to be reminiscent of action films from the ’80s, begins shooting in October, and will be directed by Brandon Slagle (“The Black Dahlia Haunting”). Liz Cuppie (“House of Manson”) is producing, with Donna and John Kopp executive producing.
“When my producers brought up the idea of Vivica in the role it was a lightning bolt,” Slagle commented. “It was a fantastic idea. Someone who could light up a room but also has a commanding presence.” He explained, “Our President is positive and proactive, not the grim figure as is usually portrayed in these types of movies.”
Many outlets are reporting that “Crossbreed” marks the first big screen depiction of a black female U.S. President. We can’t find other examples, so it does seem that Fox is making history — or rather, herstory — with the role. Mashable writes, “Alfre Woodard played POTUS in the short-lived TV series ‘State of Affairs,’ while Penny Johnson Jerald played President Amanda Waller… in the animated movie ‘Justice League: Gods and Monsters.’ But every movie that has featured a female president has cast a white actress.” Mashable reports that the first actress to play a female president in a film was Ernestine Barrier in the 1953 film “Project Moonbase.”
A study from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media examined popular films from 11 countries and found that 90.5 percent of Political Officials, Legislators, and Leaders in film were depicted by men. (Note: the films considered were rated as “appropriate for audiences 12–16 years of age or younger,” so no rated R-rated movies were analyzed.)
“Crossbreed” will offer a rare opportunity to see a woman of color onscreen in a leadership position — as the leader of the U.S.
Fox’s other credits include “Independence Day,” “Soul Food,” and “Kill Bill.”
