The Help has certainly helped Viola Davis’ career, to the point that she’s now got enough clout to start putting together projects of her own. One that she wants to make will keep her in the same era as The Help, but rather than looking at the everyday lives of black people, she’d play someone at the forefront of civil rights, who made huge strides for black women.
According to Variety, Davis is developing a biopic of Barbara Jordan, alongside director Paris Barclay. The film will be based on biography, Barbara Jordan: American Hero, by Mary Beth Rogers.
In 1966, Jordan became the first African American to serve in the Texas Senate since Reconstruction. Then in 1972 she became the first Southern black woman ever elected to Congress, and the first to deliver the keynote address at a national party convention. Her powerful oratory stirred a nation and her ideals of ethical leadership inspired millions.
The biopic is in early development, with Davis busy working on the likes of Ender’s Game and Beautiful Creatures while she develops the Barbara Jordan movie.