McG’s Netflix fantasy film ‘Uglies’ will star Laverne Cox

Laverne Cox (Promising Young Woman, Orange Is the New Black) has joined the cast of Uglies, a dystopian fantasy picture directed by McG and based on Scott Westerfeld’s international bestseller of the same name.

As previously revealed, she joins a cast that includes Joey King, Keith Powers, Brianne Tju, and Chase Stokes.

Uglies is set in a future where everyone is made lovely by undergoing a compulsory operation at the age of sixteen to adhere to an ideal standard of beauty. While King is expected to play Tally Youngblood, the novel’s main character, the role of Cox has not yet been revealed.

The screenplay adaptation was undertaken by Krista Vernoff. Davis Entertainment Company’s John Davis and Jordan Davis are producing, with Anonymous Content’s Robyn Meisinger, Industry Entertainment’s Dan Spilo, and Wonderland’s McG and Mary Viola. Joey King, Jamie King, Scott Westerfeld, and John Fox are among the executive producers.

Cox is best known for her role as Litchfield Penitentiary inmate Sophia Burset in Netflix’s Emmy-winning series Orange Is the New Black, produced by Jenji Kohan. She is a two-time SAG Award winner and four-time Emmy contender. Shonda Rhimes’ Netflix miniseries Inventing Anna, due to launch on February 11, will be her next appearance. The Blacklist, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Awkafina Is Nora from Queens, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Dear White People, The Mindy Project, Doubt, and more TV shows have featured the actress. Emerald Fennell’s Oscar-winning picture Promising Young Woman, in which she co-starred with Carey Mulligan; Justin Simien’s Hulu horror comedy Bad Hair; and writer-director Paul Weitz’s critically praised Sony Pictures Classics drama Grandma are among her film credits.

ICM Partners, PH Entertainment Group, and Peikoff Mahan represent Cox.