Fans of “Big Ballet” and “The Big Leap,” take note: another project about a plus-size dancer is on the way. Tina Mabry has signed on to co-write and direct “Pretty Big,” a pic based on the true story of Akira Armstrong and her Pretty Big Movement dance company, for Warner Bros. and HBO Max. Deadline broke the news.
“Pretty Big” will see “a young plus-sized woman [taking] matters into her own hands when she keeps getting rejected from dance companies, despite her obvious talent. When she starts her own company for bodies of all shapes, sizes, and colors, she sets out to win a prestigious competition and prove to the dance community that anyone can dance at an elite level,” the source teases.
Several studios reportedly bid on the project.
Mabry made her feature debut with 2009’s “Mississippi Damned.” Most recently, she helmed episodes of “Women of the Movement,” an ABC anthology series about women in the civil rights movement. Season 1 focuses on Mamie Till-Mobley, Emmett Till’s mother. Her other TV credits include “Insecure,” “Pose,” and “Queen Sugar.” She won a DGA Award and an NAACP Award for Amazon’s “American Girl” special “Melody 1963: Love Has to Win,” which she produced and directed.
Up next for Mabry is “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat,” the story of three lifelong best friends.
