Cynthia Erivo received an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Aretha Franklin in “Genius” — and now she’s set to play another brilliant, ambitious woman. She is set to topline and executive produce “Steel,” a 1970s London-set drama-thriller following a “self-made woman’s rise to power.” Deadline broke the news.
The MRC Television-Civic Center Media project “centers on Madeline Crowe (Erivo), a fiercely ambitious arms dealer who seizes control of her own destiny in a high-octane and dangerous profession dominated by her male colleagues,” the source summarizes. “The daughter of Nigerian immigrants, driven by an insatiable hunger to win at all costs, yet beholden to her son as a single mother, Crowe is forced to confront the kind of person, deep down, she really is. ‘Steel’ explores how choices made by individuals desperate in pursuit of money and power shape the geopolitical landscape of our present, and how women like Madeline were the vanguards.”
The story is inspired by co-writer Fred Fernandez Armesto’s grandmother and her time as a “secret agent selling arms for the British government.”
“We love that it is a role that exploits Cynthia’s ability to convey intellect and emotional depth while also being – for lack of a better term – a badass,” MRC Television President Elise Henderson previously told Deadline.
Erivo and Solome Williams will exec produce “Steel” via their Edith’s Daughter production company.
Erivo has a busy autumn ahead: she will serve on Venice Film Festival’s main jury; release her solo debut album, “Ch 1. Vs. 1″; publish her first children’s book, “Remember to Dream, Ebere”; and compete for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Emmy for “Genius: Aretha.” Last year, she landed an Oscar nod for portraying Harriet Tubman in Kasi Lemmons’ “Harriet” and another for writing the biopic’s original song, “Stand Up.”
“The Outsider” and “Widows” are among Erivo’s other screen credits. The Tony winner’s packed slate includes a remake of “The Rose” and an Apple anthology series from “GLOW’s” Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch.
