The life and legacy of abolitionist Harriet Tubman is receiving the full biopic treatment, and the production is coming this fall to Richmond. (Photo courtesy Library of Congress)
Right now, we don't know much about the upcoming Harriet Tubman film to be lensed in and around Richmond this fall. But what we do know is exciting.
The screenplay is by Gregory Allen Howard and directed by Kasi Lemmons, whose 1997 directorial debut was the acclaimed “Eve’s Bayou.” (She also directed the “Luke Cage” episode “All Souled Out"). Howard authored the 2000 film “Remember the Titans," but in the past year he was working on the story of civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer. Lemmons may be remembered by movie watchers as Jodie Foster’s roommate in “Silence of the Lambs” and the unfortunate urban myths-debunker Bernadette in “Candyman,” and along the way she’s worked in films directed by Spike Lee and Robert Townsend. Here she tells the story of how she got into directing.
Tubman will be portrayed by Tony Award-winning British multi-hyphenate performer Cynthia Erivo. Another Tony Award winner, Leslie Odom Jr., assumes the role of William Still, an Underground Railroad “conductor.” Odom entered renown as the original Aaron Burr in “Hamilton.”
Virginia Film Office spokesperson Margaret Finucane says, "The governor will be issuing a press release when news is ready to be officially shared, hopefully within the next few weeks. Prior to that point, we can’t comment on the project beyond what is already out there."
Tubman was born into slavery around 1820 as Araminta Ross, and, based on character descriptions, the film appears to follow her 1849 escape from captivity and her return into Maryland to retrieve family members and guide many other enslaved people out of bondage. Tubman worked as part of an informal and secret system that assisted freedom-seeking slaves called the Underground Railroad.
Real-life figures slated for representation in the film include formerly enslaved abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass, radical abolitionist John Brown, Underground Railroad organizer Levi Coffin and “Senator Seward,” based on William H. Seward. You may remember him as the trusted advisor and cabinet member in “Lincoln.” These parts have not yet been cast.
“Harriet” is to be filmed in and around Richmond from Oct. 8 until Dec. 3. Stay tuned for further updates.
