Kerry Washington To Exec Produce, Star In Tyler Perry’s Netflix WWII Pic ‘Six Triple Eight’; Sam Waterston, Susan Sarandon & Oprah Winfrey Among Others Set

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Kerry Washington (The School for Good and Evil) will exec produce and star in Six Triple Eight — the WWII drama that Tyler Perry is writing, directing and producing for Netflix, which has now entered production. She’s joined in the ensemble by such screen icons as Sam Waterston (Grace and Frankie), Susan Sarandon (Thelma & Louise) and Oprah Winfrey (Selma).

Others set include Ebony Obsidian (If Beale Street Could Talk), Milauna Jackson (A Jazzman’s Blues), Kylie Jefferson (Tiny Pretty Things), Shanice Shantay (The Wiz Live!), Sarah Jeffery (Charmed), Pepi Sonuga (Pam & Tommy), Jay Reeves (Safety), Jeanté Godlock (Daybreak), Moriah Brown (Raising Dion), Baadja-Lyne Odums (Ruthless), Gregg Sulkin (The Throwback) and Dean Norris (Breaking Bad).

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The film based on an article by Kevin M. Hymel, published in WWII History Magazine by Sovereign Media, tells the true story of the only all-Black, all-female World War II Battalion. These 855 women joined the war effort with little knowledge of what exactly they would be doing, but were quickly given the mission of a lifetime: sorting through and fixing a three-year backlog of undelivered mail.

While this was a herculean task that most thought impossible, the women not only succeeded but did it in half the time they were given. Facing discrimination, unfamiliar land and a war-torn country, they persevered and sorted over 17 million pieces of mail, reconnecting American soldiers with their families and loved ones back home. The motto that kept them going each day was one they created themselves: “No Mail, Low Morale.”

While the story of the 6888th Postal Directory Battalion hasn’t historically been given its due, President Joe Biden on March 14th of last year signed a bill that would give the women their long overdue notice, in the form of Congress’ highest honor, the Congressional Gold Medal.

Six Triple Eight marks Perry’s fourth feature for Netflix following A Fall From Grace; A Madea Homecoming, which hit the Top 10 in 43 countries; A Jazzman’s Blues, which was in the Top 10 in 55 countries; and Adam McKay’s chart-topper Don’t Look Up, which had him as part of the ensemble. He’s joined as a producer on the pic by Nicole Avant for Her Excellency Productions, Keri Selig for Intuition Productions, Carlota Espinosa, and Angi Bones and Tony Strickland for Tyler Perry Studios. Peter Guber exec produces for Mandalay Pictures, alongside Washington.

Pic’s producer and star Washington is an Emmy winner and two-time Golden Globe nominee who recently starred alongside Charlize Theron in the Paul Feig-directed Netflix fantasy pic, The School for Good and Evil — prior to that being cast in the streamer’s films The Prom and American Son.

The actress has also been seen in the Emmy-nominated HBO TV movie Confirmation, as well as such films as Django Unchained, Miracle at St. Anna and The Last King of Scotland, to name just a few. She starred in the series Little Fires Everywhere and Scandal from Hulu and ABC respectively, and will also soon appear in Lionsgate’s action-thriller Shadow Force, among other projects.

Washington is repped by CAA, Washington Square Arts and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller; Waterston by Industry Entertainment; Sarandon by UTA; Winfrey by WME; Obsidian by Innovative Artists and Brillstein Entertainment Partners; Jackson by A3 Artists Agency and Ethos Entertainment; Jefferson by Buchwald, Reel Talent Management and Rowan Maron Feil; Shantay by Defining Artists Agency, Greenlight Management and Production and Peikoff Mahan Law Office; Jeffery by Alchemy Entertainment, Vancouver’s Play Management and Ziffren Brittenham; Sonuga by Gersh, Stride Management and Granderson Des Rochers; Reeves by Luber Roklin Entertainment and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Godlock by Innovative Artists and Marsh Entertainment; Brown by Global Artists Agency and Van Johnson Company; Odums by Ross Stephens Artists & Entertainment; Sulkin by APA and D2 Management; and Norris by Innovative Artists and Industry Entertainment.

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