While we’ve been seeing black women make major moves on television, there is still a serious lack of diversity on the big screen. Even the few women who book film gigs fairly frequently are starting to transition over to television, which is what makes this latest bit of casting news pretty sweet.
Variety reports that Octavia Spencer will be playing God, literally. The Oscar winner is currently in negotiations to take on a larger than life itself role as God in an upcoming Lionsgate’s adaptation of the bestselling novel “The Shack.”
Based on the William P. Young novel published in 2007, the story follows a man whose youngest daughter is abducted during a family vacation, with evidence found in an abandoned shack leading authorities to believe she was murdered. Four years later, the man receives a note, apparently from God, inviting him back to the shack and, against his better judgment, he accepts the invitation and finds something there that will change his life forever.
The film will be a major project for Lionsgate as the book is available in 39 languages and has sold 10 million copies worldwide, which likely means that international distribution for this film is a lock.
Spencer co-stars in the film Black and White, which is currently in theaters. She also has upcoming roles in Insurgent and Fathers and Daughters.