Everybody else better step up their game, because Taraji P. Henson is taking all the jobs. Fresh off the news that her TPH Entertainment has signed an overall deal with BET Studios, the partnership is set to deliver its first big project.
According to Variety, Henson is in talks to star in and produce the series Queenie. Based on Shirley Stewart’s book, The World of Stephanie St. Clair: An Entrepreneur, Race Woman and Outlaw in the Early Twentieth Century Harlem, the story chronicles the life of Stephanie St. Clair a.k.a. the “Godmother of Harlem.” In the ‘20s and ‘30s, she was “the most profitable female ‘numbers banker’ in an illegal underworld run by the most vicious and notorious of men.” Honestly, this character sounds perfect for the Hidden Figures star. A fierce, badass with a tough exterior who’s vulnerable on the inside is right in her wheelhouse.
Per the logline: “To put it too simply, all she ever wanted was to run and mind her own business. After all, she was a lady. But when a greedy and violent mobster began encroaching on her territory, she stood in defiance, waging a war that changed Harlem, and her life, forever.”
Taraji has been busier than ever lately. As we previously reported at The Root, she’s set to host the 2022 BET Awards. We don’t know what she has planned yet, but we can guess there will be an Empire sketch, jokes about “the slap” and based on her recent work advocating for abortion rights, probably a lot of shots at Republican lawmakers.
As if that wasn’t enough excellence, the Howard University alum recently received an honorary doctorate from her alma mater and was named to President Biden’s HBCU Advisory Board.
And obviously we can’t forget about her upcoming role as Shug Avery in The Color Purple movie musical. Seriously Taraji, leave some work for everyone else.