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Oprah Is Returning to the Screen with Her First Acting Role in Five Years
The Oscar-nominated actress has joined the cast of Tyler Perry’s new Netflix film.
www.oprahdaily.com
Tyler Perry is writing and directing a new movie, Six Triple Eight, about the 6888th Battalion—an all-Black, all-female unit that fought in World War II. And you read the news right: Oprah is making her long-awaited return to acting in the upcoming film.
Among her many other titles, Oprah is an Oscar-nominated actress—but this will be her first acting project in over five years. Perry is also no stranger to the screen; he has acted in, written, directed, and produced more than 30 movies in under 20 years. He has also had previous success with Netflix, the streaming service that will house the new film. Six Triple Eight will be his fourth movie for Netflix, after A Jazzman’s Blues, A Fall From Grace, and A Madea Homecoming.
Below, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know about Six Triple Eight.
There’s no release date—yet
Netflix is making us sweat on this one, but we’re hoping for more details soon.
The cast includes Oprah and other icons
Oprah’s role has not yet been announced, but it’ll be her first major screen moment since starring in Ava DuVernay’s A Wrinkle in Time adaptation in 2018.
Oprah is joining some other marquee names, including Kerry Washington—who is also an executive producer—and Susan Sarandon. The cast will be rounded out by Ebony Obsidian, Milauna Jackson, Pepi Sonuga, Sarah Jeffery, Shanice Williams, Jay Reeves, Dean Norris, Sam Waterston, Kylie Jefferson, Jeanté Godlock, and Moriah Brown. No specific roles have also not been announced yet.
Six Triple Eight will share the previously untold story of the 6888th Battalion
The 6888th Battalion was the only all-Black, all-female unit to fight in World War II—and nearly 100 years later, the stories of the 855 women have been largely ignored. Notably, the battalion first received public recognition when President Biden signed a bill to give the women the Congressional Gold Medal.
Perry is adapting the screenplay from an article about the battalion, written by historian Kevin M. Hymel and published in WWII History Magazine. The synopsis of the film shares that the 6888th received an immense task: They were required to comb through a three-year backlog of undelivered mail—over 17 million pieces, to be exact.
The film marks a new step in Oprah and Perry’s professional relationship
Oprah and Perry have been in each other’s lives for years, both professionally and personally. (We’ll never forget that time Perry gave Oprah the nicest gift of all time: a Bentley.) They’ve produced shows together—Perry worked on several that aired on OWN—and have even acted in a spoof together (you’ll definitely want to watch what happened when Madea met Sofia).
Now, for the first time ever, Perry will be directing Oprah. But if their years of stellar collaboration prove anything, it’s that Perry is the right person to bring Oprah back to our screens after years away.
Thoughts?
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