Your First Look at Tyler Perry and Kerry Washington's World War II Movie, "Six Triple Eight"
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We now have our first look at "Six Triple Eight," the World War II movie written and directed by Tyler Perry. The period piece — which was first announced in December 2022 — stars Kerry Washington and will tell the true story of the only all-Black, all-female battalion to join the UK's World War II efforts. Per Netflix, it is based on an article by Kevin M. Hymel that was published in WWII History magazine.
"To honor the long ignored worth of the 6888 has been the greatest privilege of my career thus far," Perry wrote in a Feb. 16 Instagram post alongside a photo of the cast, citing the fact that the women's story is not particularly well known despite its significance. It has begun to gain some new attention in recent years, though, with President Joe Biden awarding the women the Congressional Gold Medal on March 14, 2022.
Washington also shared an Instagram post of herself in costume, explaining her connection to the movie. "God as my witness, last year I posted a #BlackHERstory picture of me dressed as Lena Derricott — a young woman who served in the 6888 battalion, the only all Black all female battalion to serve overseas in WWII," she explained in the caption, citing a previous post from May 2022. "At the time, unbeknownst to me, sitting in my email inbox was some information Tyler Perry had sent me about a movie he was hoping to make about these phenomenal women!"
The movie does not have a release date yet, but keep reading for everything we do know about it.
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"Six Triple Eight" Plot
"Six Triple Eight" will tell the story of the 6888th Battalion, an all-Black, all-female unit that played a critical role during World War II.
"'Six Triple Eight' tells the inspiring true story of the incredible and brave women of the only all-black, all-female World War II Battalion. These 855 women joined the war effort with little knowledge of what exactly they would be doing, but were quickly given the mission of a lifetime: sort through and fix the three-year backlog of undelivered mail," reads the synopsis, per Netflix. "A herculean task, that most thought to be impossible, the women not only succeeded but did it in half the time they were given. Facing discrimination, unfamiliar land, and a war-torn country, they persevered and sorted over 17 million pieces of mail, reconnecting American soldiers with their families and loved ones back home. The motto that kept them going each day was one they created themselves: 'No Mail, Low Morale.' The women of the 6888 weren't just delivering mail, they were delivering hope."