The long-untold story of Ona Judge, a young woman who escaped slavery and was hunted by George and Martha Washington, is coming to the big screen. A press release has announced that Provenance Films has optioned Erica Armstrong Dunbar’s book “Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge,” with plans to adapt it as a feature film. “Walking Dead” scribe LaToya Morgan has been tapped to write the screenplay.
No word on a director yet.
Published in February 2017, “Never Caught” delves into the particular circumstances Judge faced. When George Washington moved north during his presidency, he brought nine slaves with him from Virginia, one of whom was Judge, a young house slave. “Pennsylvania law required enslaved people be set free after six months of residency in the state. Rather than comply, Washington decided to circumvent the law. Every six months he sent the slaves back down south just as the clock was about to expire,” the press release explains.
One day in Philadelphia, Judge seized her opportunity and fled for New England. “Yet freedom would not come without its costs. At just 22-years-old, Ona became the subject of an intense manhunt led by George Washington, who used his political and personal contacts to recapture his property,” per the source.
Now in its 38th printing, “Never Caught” is a National Book Award finalist and has won the Frederick Douglass Book Prize and Phillis Wheatley Book Award.
“Erica Armstrong Dunbar’s impeccably researched, masterfully written, and critically acclaimed work tells the true story of how one woman risked everything for her freedom from one of America’s most famous founding fathers,” said Lisa Ellis, Managing Partner of Provenance Ventures, Provenance Films’ parent company. “At Provenance Films, we are drawn to thought-provoking stories that further the national and global conversations on race, gender, history, and perspective, and look to collaborate with poignant storytellers and creators who not only aim to beautifully portray these narratives on screen, but also provide untold truths to history, inclusive opportunities, and provide representation for others throughout every step of the creative process.” Ellis continued, “Dunbar’s book reminded me of how history has not been told in its entirety. We have truly assembled a powerful team with LaToya Morgan now onboard to further adapt this history for a cinematic audience which will continue to share Ona Judge’s legacy for future generations on screen.”
Armstrong Dunbar is also the author of “She Came to Slay,” a biography of abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who was born into slavery and went on to help hundreds of slaves escape to freedom. Cynthia Erivo received an Oscar nomination this year for portraying Tubman in Kasi Lemmons’ biopic “Harriet.”
Armstrong Dunbar is the Charles & Mary Beard Distinguished Professor of History at Rutgers University, and is a founding partner of History Studio, a firm specializing in historical accuracy and cultural sensitivity in entertainment.
Morgan has penned episodes of “Parenthood” and “Shameless,” and wrote and directed the short “Team Marilyn.” Next, she is showrunning and executive producing the HBO Max series “Duster,” which follows a crime syndicate’s getaway driver.
