Regina King takes on the role of groundbreaking politician Shirley Chisholm in the upcoming Netflix biopic, Shirley.
The film tells the story of Chisholm becoming the first Black Congresswoman and her “audacious, boundary-breaking 1972 presidential campaign,” per Netflix.
The cast also includes Lucas Hedges, Terrence Howard, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christina Jackson, Michael Cherrie, Dorian Crossmond Missick, Amirah Vann, W. Earl Brown, Brad James, Reina King, André Holland, and the late Lance Reddick who died in March 2023.
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King and her sister, Reina King, serve as producers on the film from writer-director John Ridley.
An agreement with the Chisholm Estate allowed the team behind Shirley to have access to her life story.
“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 King said when the film was announced in 2021.
Chisholm was born Shirley Anita St. Hill in Brooklyn, New York, in 1924. She was the oldest daughter of immigrant parents from Guyana and Barbados. She graduated from Brooklyn College and earned a master’s degree from Columbia University.
In 1968, she became the first Black woman elected to Congress, and represented New York’s 12th congressional district until 1983.
In 1972, Chisholm ran for president and was the first woman to vie for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. She was initially blocked from participating in televised primary debates and took legal action. The nomination ultimately went to Democratic Sen. George McGovern who lost to incumbent Republican President Richard Nixon.
Among King’s recent projects was a role in The Harder They Fall (2021) and she directed One Night in Miami (2020).
Both Academy Award winners King (If Beale Street Could Talk) and Ridley (12 Years a Slave) have worked together in the past on the ABC anthology series American Crime, which Ridley created.
In addition to King and Ridley, producers on the film include Reina King, Anikah McLaren and Elizabeth Haggard. Executive producers are Jeff Skoll and Ted Gidlow.
Shirley will be released on Friday, March 22, 2024. Watch the teaser below:
Regina King is Shirley Chisholm.
Shirley is the iconic story of the first Black congresswoman and her historic presidential campaign. Premieres March 22. pic.twitter.com/VzWVmehBeo
— Netflix (@netflix) January 9, 2024
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