Danai Gurira to portray presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm in new movie

Danai Gurira is set to portray pioneering U.S. presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm in an upcoming film.

The Black Panther actress has been tapped to star in The Fighting Shirley Chisholm, which will focus on the politician's groundbreaking run for the U.S. presidency in 1972.

The movie is not a biopic of Chisholm's life but rather a snapshot of her history-making campaign. She was the first Black female in Congress and became the first woman and the first person of colour to seek a major American political party's presidential nomination. According to the casting announcement, Chisholm "recognised that she could make real change by challenging the status quo through her efforts to gain enough delegates to speak for the people at the Democratic Convention".

However, her bid was unsuccessful and George McGovern won the Democratic nomination, although he ultimately lost to Richard Nixon.

The Fighting Shirley Chisholm was previously set up at Amazon Studios with Viola Davis attached to star and produce under her JuVee Productions banner. This iteration will be directed by Cherien Dabis from a script by Adam Countee.

Chisholm was recently portrayed onscreen by Orange Is the New Black's Uzo Aduba alongside Cate Blanchett and Rose Byrne in the TV miniseries Mrs. America, which detailed the political movement to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. Aduba won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for the role in September.