Regina King Is Bringing Shirley Chisholm's Historic 1972 Presidential Run to the Big Screen

Regina King is stepping back in front of the camera to bring the story of Shirley Chisholm, America's first Black congresswoman, to the big screen. On Feb. 17, Deadline revealed that King will lead the cast of Shirley, a Participant-produced film expected to start production later this year. John Ridley, who won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay for 12 Years a Slave, has signed on to write and direct the feature. King will produce, with Jeff Skoll and Anikah McLaren serving as executive producers.

Shirley follows Chisholm's historic presidential campaign, which began in 1972. According to Deadline, the filmmakers reached an exclusive agreement for her life story rights with the Chisholm Estate, allowing the feature to give audiences a more intimate portrait of the pioneer's life during her groundbreaking campaign.

"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," King said in a statement.

King, who won a best supporting actress Oscar for her performance in If Beale Street Could Talk, is the latest to take on the task of bringing Chisholm's story to life, following Uzo Aduba's acclaimed portrayal in the Hulu miniseries Mrs. America and the announcement that Danai Gurira will play Chisholm in a biopic titled The Fighting Shirley Chisholm. King and Ridley previously worked together on American Crime, which earned King two Emmys. If that doesn't promise we'll see magic from this production, King's very involvement should do the trick!