The upcoming Regina King Netflix film Shirley will focus on the real-life events of the iconic Shirley Chisholm who was the first-ever Black Congresswoman and the first-ever Black woman to run for President in the United States.
Featuring Regina King in the lead, the film is directed by John Ridley who already has many seminal project credits under his belt, including American Crime, Godfather of Harlem, Guerilla, Needle in a Timestack etc. Ridley is working on the film in collaboration with King and her production company Royal Ties Production.
Ridley and King met each other on sets of American Crime. Talking about the origins of the project, the filmmaker said, “Our careers were in different places; Regina’s trajectory has always been pretty much straight up. But one of the topics that we were literally, truly, breaking bread, sitting down together trying to figure out our commonality, she brought up Shirley Chisholm.”
Ahead of its release, here is everything we know about the new Regina King film Shirley:
Everything we know about the new Regina King film ‘Shirley’
What is the plot of the Regina King film Shirley?
The film will be based on the seminal political icon, Shirley Chisholm, the first-ever Black Congresswoman who ran for the Presidential elections. The film will focus on the 1972 Presidential campaign that transcended all barriers and made history. Based on real-life events, the film is made in agreement with the Chisholm Estate and will uphold conversations with daily and friends that will present an intimate insight into the ground-breaking life and politics of this trailblazer.
What is the cast of Regina King’s Shirley?
Oscar-winning actress Regina King has always enthralled audiences with her powerful performances. Her brilliance in If Beale Street Could Talk won her an Academy Award and she was recently seen in the 2021 Netflix film The Harder They Fall. King will be seen playing the role of Shirley Chisholm in the film.
During a promo for the previous Netflix film, Regina King expressed her excitement at the prospect of playing this powerful and dynamic character. She said, “I am terrified and excited at the same time. Her legacy is precious to me and precious to so many. So I just asked for the grace of God to respect her legacy and do it proud.”
Director John Ridley talked about his experience working with an actress of King’s stature. He marvelled at her talent, saying, “one of the things I really, truly admire about Regina is not just her capacities as an actor but her capacities as an instrument to deliver empathy and this is one of the most empathetic, one of the most powerful human stories that I’ve had the opportunity to tell, and I’ve had the opportunity to tell some really amazing stories.”
King will be joined by some other notable cast members, namely Lance Reddick from the John Wick franchise, Andre Holland from Passing, Empire’s Terrence Howard, Lucas Hedges from Manchester by the Sea, Christina Jackson from Swagger, Michael Cherrie from Home Again, For Life’s Dorian Missick, Deadwood’s W. Earl Brown, Amirah Vann from Underground and Ethan Jones Romero.
What is the production status Shirley?
Currently, Shirley is in production in Cincinnati, the United States. According to director John Ridley, filming began in December 2021 and was supposed to continue until March 2022. Following this schedule, filming was supposed to take place in Los Angeles and then end production in New York.
Production is scheduled to wrap on April 1st, 2022.
The executive director of Film Cincinnati Kristen Schlotman expressed how “thrilled” they are about the film “because of the jobs and the economic impact it has on the region.”
When will Regina King film Shirley be released?
Netflix has not announced the release date for the upcoming Regina King film Shirley. The film has not featured in the 2022 lineup trailer for the streamer either. However, a late 2022 or an early 2023 release.
