gugu mbatha-raw to play pioneering jamaican nurse mary seacole

British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw will bring the life of pioneering Jamaican nurse and businesswoman Mary Seacole to the big screen.

Seacole cared for injured British soldiers during the Crimean War, clashing with Florence Nightingale. Using herbal remedies and traditional healing methods, Seacole nursed soldiers back to health in her “British Hotel” for sick and convalescent officers. According to Variety, Racing Green Pictures hopes to launch with this film, its first effort to “back prestige films, many of which will have strong social messages.”

“Mary Seacole was an extraordinary woman, and I’m proud to bring her story to today’s audiences with the hope that they will be inspired by her kindness and tenacity. Seacole perfectly encapsulates the mission of Racing Green Pictures, which is to use first-class filmmaking to tell important stories, and I look forward to both this film and to other exciting projects in the near future,” said producer Billy Peterson’s Racing Green Pictures.

Mbatha-Raw will be joined by Sam Worthington, Sylvia Hoeks and Sean Delaney with Charlie Stratton on as director. Dianne Houston and Marine Dickens collaborated on the screenplay with Stratton.