RICHMOND, Va. — The story of Richard and Mildred Loving will be made into a “major motion picture” that will be filmed in Central Virginia, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe announced Thursday. The Lovings were an interracial Virginia couple arrested in the 1950s for violating state law that prohibited interracial marriage. The couple sued, and in 1967, their case was heard by the United States Supreme Court.
The movie will star Ruth Negga (World War Z, The Samaritan) and Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby, Zero Dark Thirty). Jeff Nichols (Mud, Take Shelter) will direct.
“Mildred and Richard Loving were not political activists,” producer Nancy Buirski said. “They considered themselves to be an ordinary couple who loved each other and were willing to fight for the right to live together and raise their children in peace in their home state. We are grateful for the warm welcome we have received in Virginia as we seek to do justice to the story of this courageous couple.”
Buirski also produced and directed The Loving Story, a documentary that aired on HBO.
“Loving is a significant American story that should be told, and I am happy to announce it will be filmed in Virginia. Attracting these projects to the Commonwealth helps build the new Virginia economy by generating new revenues, creating good-paying jobs for our citizens and continuing to highlight Virginia’s historical significance,” Governor McAuliffe said in a statement.
The precise locations and timing of the movie shoot has not yet been released.
