Shirley, Oscar-winning writer-director John Ridley’s upcoming film about political figure Shirley Chisholm, is heading to Netflix with an all-star cast led by Regina King. Joining King as Chisholm — previously portrayed by Uzo Aduba in the FX limited series Mrs. America — are Lance Reddick, Lucas Hedges, Christina Jackson, Michael Cherrie, Dorian Missick, Amirah Vann, W. Earl Brown, André Holland, and Terrence Howard.
Shirley finds Ridley tackling themes he’s addressed in his work before, being described as an “intimate portrayal” of “the first Black Congresswoman and the first Black woman to run for President of the U.S". Of the project, King said:
"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. To collaborate once again with my friend and mentor, John Ridley, and the team at Participant, makes this decade-long journey even sweeter."
King and her sister Reina serve as producers alongside Ridley, and Anikah McLaren and Elizabeth Haggard for Participant. King's last film—The Harder They Fall—also released on Netflix, a follow-up to her feature directorial debut, One Night in Miami, which earned three nominations at last year’s Academy Awards.
Ridley has also been busy on the small screen in recent years. He was the creator and showrunner of the anthology series American Crime, which ran for three seasons between 2015 and 2017. He also co-directed and co-wrote the six-part British drama series Guerrilla, and directed the pilot for the Epix series Godfather of Harlem. He will co-write and co-direct the upcoming Apple TV+ miniseries Five Days at Memorial, a hospital drama set against the backdrop of Hurricane Katrina. Most recently, however, Ridley wrote and directed the science-fiction drama Needle in a Timestack, which was released quietly in October.
No release date has been announced for Shirley. Check out the film's official synopsis below:
Shirley is the intimate portrayal of trailblazing political icon Shirley Chisholm, the first Black Congresswoman and the first Black woman to run for President of the U.S, and the cost of accomplishment for Shirley herself. This film will tell the story of Chisholm's boundary-breaking and historic presidential campaign, based on exclusive and extensive conversations with family, friends and those who knew her best.