Barbara Jordan (Photo By Shelly Katz/Getty Images)

Fresh off her accolades for her Oscar-nominated role in The Help, Hollywood it girl Viola Davis is gearing up to play the role of legendary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan.

The film will be one of the projects from Davis’ and her husband’s new “multi-ethnic” production company, JuVee Productions, and will be directed by Paris Barclay. The project will be based on the book Barbara Jordan: American Hero, and will show how the Congresswoman overcame her humble beginnings in Houston, Texas to be one of the most vocal proponents of civil and women’s rights.

Although the film has been discussed for years, Davis’ new-found notoriety is just what the project needed to get going. The filmmakers hope that it will be yet another opportunity for Davis to showcase her immense talent, and possibly earn her a much-deserved Oscar.

“In a world of movies about giants and Martians and toys come to life, if you can actually get involved with a movie about a human who single-handedly changed American politics, you say ‘yes,’?” Barclay told Variety. “We’re hoping this becomes a movie that shows the world everything that Viola can do. People haven’t seen everything that she’s capable of, and this role is so powerful.”

We can’t wait!

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