Tony Winner Cynthia Erivo to Star as Harriet Tubman in Upcoming Biopic

Deadline reports that Tony award winner Cynthia Erivo will take on the role of iconic abolitionist Harriet Tubman in the upcoming Macro/New Balloon biopic, HARRIET. Seith Mann will reportedly direct from a script by Gregory Allen Howard.

Tubman is a classic figure in American history who escaped slavery and went on to free others in bondage through a channel of safe houses and secret routes known as the UNDERGROUND Railroad. In addition, she served as a Union spy during the Civil War and fought for women's voting rights.

Last year, Erivo won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her role as Celie in The Color Purple. The role marked her Broadway debut. Sunday evening she is up for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album Grammy. As BWW previously reported, she will perform the In Memoriam tribute segment of the award's show alongside John Legend.

Erivo is currently filming the Steven McQueen-directed thriller Widows, opposite Viola Davis and André Holland.

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