A RAISIN IN THE SUN's Sophie Okonedo Joins BBC TV's THE HOLLOW CROWN

The Daily Mail writes that Tony nominee Sophie Okonedo, currently starring in A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway, will appear opposite Benedict Cumberbatch and others in BBC TV's upcoming trilogy THE HOLLOW CROWN, which includes Shakespeare's HENRY VI trilogy and RICHARD III.

Okonedo will play Queen Margaret, Henry VI's widow who "rails against Richard's (Cumberbatch) bloody actions and curses him and his offspring. She's determined to do him down because he killed her husband."

The HENRY VI plays will be turned into two films, with RICHARD III completing the series. Filming is set to begin in September and continue on into the new year. Dominic Cooke is directing all three of the features.

Okonedo will next appear on the big screen in War Book; she also recently starred in After Earth and has also appeared in The Secret Life of Bees and Hotel Rwanda. Among her TV credits are The Escape Artist, Mayday, The Slap, Criminal Justice, Father & Son, Oliver Twist, Doctor Who and more.

The actress previously starred in the West End in Haunted Child in 2011 and is currently performing in this year's Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun opposite Denzel Washington. She is nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play; tune in to the 2014 Tonys ceremony on June 8 to see if she wins!