Viola Davis to feature as first female black politician Shirley Chisholm in Amazon Prime Video film

Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis is gearing up to play groundbreaking politician Shirley Chisholm in a film for Amazon Studios.

The company said on Thursday that Davis has signed on to star in and produce the project about Chisholm, who was the first black woman ever elected to the United States Congress and the first woman to seek the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.

Chisholm represented New York’s 12th District in the House of Representatives from 1969 to 1983, and sought the presidential nomination in 1972. She announced in January 1972 that would be running for President in a Baptist church in her Brooklyn district, reports Deadline. The election concluded with George McGovern receiving the Democratic nomination and losing to the then-Republican President Richard Nixon.

Davis presently features in Widows , the critically acclaimed heist film directed by  Steve McQueen . She also stars in Amazon Studio’s Troupe Zero, which features Alison Janney and Jim Gaffigan. Davis’ body of work has been exceptional with the most noted performance winning her an Oscar for her supporting role in Denzel Washington’s adaptation of Fences. Her role went on to win her a Golden Globe and SAG award as well.

Chisholm died in 2005 at the age of 80.

Maggie Betts will direct Davis in The Fighting Shirley Chisholm off of a screenplay from Silicon Valley writer Adam Countee.

(With inputs from The Associated Press)