Cynthia Erivo to Headline and Executive Produce Prima Facie Film Adaptation

Suzie Miller’s Olivier Award-winning play Prima Facie, which is currently running on Broadway, will be adapted into a feature film. The film will star Tony Award winner and Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo, whose production house Edith’s Daughter will co-produce along with Participant and Bunya Productions. The film will be adapted by Miller and directed by BAFTA Award-winning filmmaker Susanna White.

Prima Facie centers on Tessa, a young defense attorney on the rise. Tessa is often assigned cases in which she must represent a man accused of sexual assault — and she takes these cases on winningly. When Tessa is raped, her perspective on the legal system shifts.

The play Prima Facie, written and staged as a solo performance, premiered in Australia in May 2019, starring Sheridan Harbridge and directed by Lee Lewis. It then transferred to London, where it opened at the Harold Pinter Theatre on April 15, 2022, directed by Justin Martin and starring Jodie Comer. Comer and the play each went on to win Olivier Awards before transferring to Broadway. Prima Facie opened at Broadway’s John Golden Theatre on April 23, 2023, and is currently scheduled to run through July 2. Comer is nominated for a Tony for her performance as Tessa.

Erivo is currently represented on Broadway as a producer of the Tony-nominated play Fat Ham. She made her Broadway debut as Celie in the revival of The Color Purple, a performance which earned her a Tony Award. Currently, Erivo is in production for Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of the long-running musical Wicked, taking on the role of Elphaba.

Notably, Participant partners with nonprofits and non-governmental organizations to create tangible impact and awareness around real-world issues through its properties. In its stage versions, “Prima Facie” has prioritized action when it comes to the issues of consent and sexual assault not only by telling this story but by joining with the Schools Consent Project.