In addition to her staring role, the 'Harriet' star will produce the biopic about Omoba Aina, an orphaned Egbado princess of the Yoruba people who was enslaved and gifted to Queen Victoria.
- December 4, 2020
AceShowbiz - Actress Cynthia Erivo is stepping back in history to portray a real-life African princess who was enslaved and gifted to Queen Victoria.
The "Harriet" star will also produce the movie based on the life of Omoba Aina, an orphaned Egbado princess of the Yoruba people who was taken as a slave by a West African ruler, and given to the English monarch in 1850, when she was renamed Sarah Forbes Bonetta.
Erivo will develop the BBC Film project alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, who has signed on as an executive producer. Erivo will produce the film via her production company Edith's Daughter with Solome Williams, SunnyMarch's Leah Clarke and Adam Ackland, and Rienkje Attoh from So & So Productions.
The as-yet-untitled biopic will draw details from Walter Dean Myers biography, "At Her Majesty's Request".
In a statement, Erivo shared, "I am excited to embark on this journey. It has taken a long time to get to a point where we can even begin to realise this dream."
"As a Nigerian British woman, to get the opportunity to tell the story of another Nigerian British woman who until now has been erased from the history books, is an honour. Miss Sarah Forbes Bonetta, Omoba Aina, is truly a passion of mine and I'm so pleased to have been able to find partners in the incredible women, (co-producers) Leah Clarke and Rienkje Attoh, to tell the story and finally give her a voice. I cannot wait to dive into her story. She is indeed the forgotten princess, forgotten no more."
