Widows was a British crime miniseries that began in 1983 from actress/writer Lynda La Plante (Prime Suspect). Now, after winning three Academy Awards for 12 Years a Slave, director Steve McQueen is prepping a Widows movie. Empire is reporting that Michelle Rodriguez (The Fast and the Furious) is set to star. McQueen is also co-writing the film with Gone Girl‘s Gillian Flynn. Viola Davis (How to Get Away With Murder) and Cynthia Erivo (Mr. Selfridge) are also set to star in the film.
In the series, three robbers are killed during a crime and their widows, Dolly Rawlins (Ann Mitchell), Shirley Miller (Fiona Hendley) and Linda Perelli (Maureen O’Farrell), enlist the help of Bella O’Reilly (Eva Mottley) to pull of the raids that their husbands failed at.
In 2002, the first series was remade for the American market, but the plot was significantly changed. Instead of a traditional armed robbery, this version united the three widows and the fourth woman in a plan to steal a famous painting. This version starred Mercedes Ruehl (The Fisher King) as Dolly Rawlins, Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) as Shirley Heller, Rosie Perez (White Men Can’t Jump) as Linda Perelli, and N’Bushe Wright (Blade) as Bella O’Reilly.
Rodriguez will be seen next as Leticia “Letty” Ortiz-Toretto in The Fate of the Furious, which will hit theaters on April 14, 2017.
