A First Look at Regina King as Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm in Netflix’s ‘Shirley’
Academy Award-winner Regina King is Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm in the first-look photos for Netflix’s Shirley.
The streaming service took to X (formerly Twitter) to drop a 19-second teaser trailer for the film that premieres on Friday, March 22.
The footage sees King in the titular role, saying, “I am the candidate of the people of America.”
Written and directed by John Ridley, “Shirley tells the story of the first black Congresswoman and political icon, Shirley Chisholm, and her trailblazing run for president of the U.S.” Per its synopsis, the film “chronicles her audacious, boundary-breaking 1972 presidential campaign.”
Harpar’s Bazar exclusively reported the first-look photos alongside an interview with Regina King that details the long process King and her sister, Reina King, have experienced trying to make Shirley for almost 15 years.
King spoke about the kismet timing of the film’s debut in 2024.
“Instead of trying to release it during any normal cycle, we thought, Wouldn’t it be more impactful to release it during a presidential election year? As a team, we felt that is probably the best way we could possibly honor Shirley: to release her in a space that she created for herself,” King said.
Netflix announced in December 2021 that Shirley, produced by Participant and Regina King’s Royal Ties Productions, would head to the streaming service.
The first-look photos of the project also provide a glimpse of the drama’s cast, which includes the late Lance Reddick, per Netflix’s TUDUM.
Shirley‘s cast also includes Lucas Hedges as Robert Gottlieb, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christina Jackson, Michael Cherrie as Conrad, Dorian Crossmond Missick as Ron Dellums, Amirah Vann as Diahann Carroll, W. Earl Brown as George Wallace, and Brad James, with André Holland as Walter Fauntroy, and Terrence Howard as Arthur Hardwick.
King is a producer on the project alongside Ridley, Anikah McLaren, and Elizabeth Haggard.
Photos from Shirley:
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Shirley premieres on Friday, March 22, on Netflix.
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Shelby Elpers
Shelby is a TV enthusiast and pop culture writer. She's an avid podcast listener, green tea drinker, and soccer fan. Her brand can be summarized in rom-coms, superheroes, teen dramas, and workplace comedies.