Viola Davis, who most recently attracted attention for her upcoming role as a Mississippi maid in The Help, will soon be traveling to Pittsburgh to star in the film Still I Rise.

In the film, Davis will portray a mother and middle school teacher who teams up with another woman to transform a local school. The original story is unrelated to the Maya Angelou poem of the same name.

Walden Media executive Mylan Stepanovich said of Ms. Davis, “She’s fantastic. We’re very lucky” to have her play a lead role in the film, opposite another female lead which has yet to be announced.

Principal photography is scheduled to begin in late May and wrap in mid-July. Daniel Barnz (Beastly) is set to direct.

Via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.