The film is adapted by Suzie Miller from her play of the same name

Cynthia Erivo will star in and executive produce a feature adaptation of Suzie Miller’s play Prima Facie.

Director Susanna White will helm the film, from Miller’s screenplay. Bunya Productions’ Greer Simpkin and David Jowsey produce with Embankment’s Kevin Loader. Erivo will executive produce through her banner Edith’s Daughter alongside Solome Williams.

Erivo plays Tessa, a formidable British defence barrister whose starry rise style in the courtrooms of London is tested when the tide turns to crisis, and she must fight to define herself.

Director White said: “I am excited by the challenge of moving Prima Facie forward into a new life that plays to the strengths of cinema. It has been great working with Suzie Miller on the script to give Tessa a powerful inner life on screen and I’m thrilled to have an actress with the strength of Cynthia Erivo come on board.

“The statistics are staggering; up to one in three women have been sexually assaulted, with as few as one in ten reported, and less than 2% of trials end in conviction. That stark reality deserves the collective emotional experience of today’s questioning and inquisitive movie audiences.”

Writer Miller added: “I am thrilled to have the brilliant Cynthia Erivo sign on to the film version of Prima Facie; Cynthia is a highly talented and nuanced actor who has fed into the script and will create a bold and dynamic Tessa for the screen.

“I am also excited to be working with such a talented and collaborative director in Susanna White, as well as Bunya Productions, Kevin Loader and Embankment – these companies are truly committed to telling great stories that have real world impact. As a team we have all organically united in a passionate artistic vision and a commitment to making a work that challenges social structures.”

Embankment represents global sales and UTA Independent Film Group and CAA Media Finance co-represent USA.

Image “Bad Times at the El Royale – Cynthia Erivo” by MTV UK is licensed under CC BY 3.0