Taraji P. Henson, star of Empire and Oscar-tipped NASA drama Hidden Figures, has climbed aboard the upcoming drama Proud Mary over at Screen Gems.
Deadline has the scoop, confirming that a production start has been earmarked for April. That doesn’t necessarily leave the Powers That Be at Screen Gems with a lot of time to appoint a director, but Deadline notes that the search is being finalized. John Stewart Newman and Christian Swegal are the brains behind the screenplay, which centers on a hit woman (Henson) “whose life is turned completely around when she meets a young boy who awakens in her a maternal instinct she never knew she had.”
On paper, it’s a fairly compelling lead role for Taraji P. Henson to assume, and one that’s worlds away from the corridors of NASA HQ. Sadly, there are no further casting announcements to report on, but it will no doubt be fascinating to discover who Screen Gems selects for the role of the young boy. Even if the youngster isn’t her own, the bond between Henson’s assassin and the mysterious child will certainly ensure Proud Mary packs an emotional punch, as our quasi-matriarch fights to protect her surrogate son from forces unknown.
With an April start date on the cards, expect further information to surface for Proud Mary in the coming weeks. Hidden Figures, meanwhile, is garnering serious Oscar buzz ahead of next month’s grand ceremony. In it, Taraji P. Henson drew praise for her performance as mathematician Katherine Johnson, and our own review signalled out both Henson and her colleagues – played by Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe – as the film’s greatest triumph.
