Viola Davis to Play Barrier-Breaking Congresswoman in 'The Fighting Shirley Chisholm'
Academy Award winner Viola Davis has another big project in the pipeline.
The acclaimed actress is set to star in the biopic "The Fighting Shirley Chisholm," Deadline reports. She'll play the barrier-breaking titular character, who made history as the first black woman to win a seat in the U.S. Congress in 1968. In addition to her acting duties, Davis is one of the producers.
Plot details haven't been revealed, so it's unclear what portion of Chisholm's life the film will cover. There are a lot of high points that could potentially be included. Not only did Chisholm make history by being elected to Congress, she was the first black woman to seek the nomination of either major political party for president. She did the latter in 1972.
Davis is a trailblazer herself. After winning her Academy Award for "Fences" in 2017, she became the first black actor to win an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony, as Variety reported at the time. She is also currently tied with Octavia Spencer for the most Oscar nods received by a black actress; they've each earned three.
"The Fighting Shirley Chisholm" is written by Adam Countee, and Maggie Betts is set to direct. So far, Amazon Studios has not announced the film's release date.
[via: Deadline]