Actress Kerry Washington is set to stick another feather in her production hat, with plans for a new film based on a book narrated by a cadre of black churchgoing women known as “the mothers.”
Author Brit Bennett’s debut novel, The Mothers, which was released in October, has just been optioned by Warner Bros. and Washington’s Simpson Street Films, which last year produced HBO’s Confirmation, which the actress also starred in.
The Mothers is a compelling New York Times best-seller that takes an unflinching look at abortion, the black church, love and friendship through the years.
After the 17-year-old protagonist, Nadia, gets pregnant by the local preacher’s son, Luke, and terminates the pregnancy, the novel follows the lives of both Luke and Nadia as they go in divergent directions but remain connected.
Bennett has been tapped to write the script for the film adaptation. No word yet on whether Washington will also be in front of the camera for the new project.