In a bit of stunning news, Focus Features issued its first exclusive look at the upcoming film Harriet, which explores the life of stoic slave abolitionist Harriet Tubman and her efforts to traffic her peers through the Deep South towards the slave-less North. According to Deadline, the film’s first trailer was released yesterday and provides viewers with imagery of the pre-Civil War era, with Cynthia Erivo starring as the titular character.
Harriet will be directed by Kasi Lemmons and is based off a screenplay co-written by Gregory Allen Howard. The film examines Tubman’s grand escape from slavery and her ensuing missions to unshackle an innumerable amount of slaves by means of the Underground Railroad. In doing so, Tubman avoids the grasps of angry slave masters and vicious mercenaries.
Boding an all-star cast, Harriet will also star Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn, Jennifer Nettles, and Clarke Peters. The film’s producers include Debra Martin (Martin Chase Productions), Daniela Taplin Lundberg (Stay Gold Features) and Gregory Allen Howard.
Cynthia Erivo was previously seen in a film entitled Windows. She experienced her first big break when she portrayed Celie in the 2015 Broadway revival of The Color Purple for which she won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2016 as well as a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
Focus will release the film theatrically on November 1st 2019. Watch the trailer below:
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