The first trailer, for what is sure to be an Oscar contender on many fronts, for Harriet has arrived. Besides serving as the culmination of star Cynthia Erivo’s (Bad Times at the El Royale, Widows) rise to A-list movie actress from Tony Award winning Broadway star, the story could not be more needed to be seen by every single American alive.
Erivo stars as Harriet Tubman, the soul who is largely credited with making the Underground Railroad a force of nature in freeing slaves from the south as they journeyed north. What’s so fascinating about the Tubman tale is that everything documented in this picture is something she did and accomplished. No need to embellish her achievements for the sake of selling tickets—this is an American historical icon whose life story will remind us all how far we’ve come as a country, but also how far we have to go.
Harriet follows the life story of the woman who escaped slavery in Maryland and headed to Philadelphia for her freedom. She would then return to the site of her slave owner to free her family. It would be a journey that would set in motion the great Underground Railroad and serve as a lightning bolt for what would be the abolitionist movement. It also looks like they’re including her role in aiding John Brown and his iconic raid on Harpers Ferry, as well as her role in the Union Army during the Civil War where she spied for the North.
Kasi Lemmons directs, from a script by Lemmons and Gregory Allen Howard.
Harriet also stars Leslie Odom Jr., Janelle Monae, Joe Alwyn, Jennifer Nettles and Clarke Peters. The film lands in theaters November 1.