Shonda Rhimes is having quite a year. ABC devoted their Thursday lineups to the prolific producer's programming— perhaps the first time in television history one person has owned an entire night; she premiered her newest series, The Catch; her long-in-the-tooth medical soap Grey's Anatomy ended its twelfth season as the highest-rated drama on the network; and the newest pilot from Shondaland, Romeo And Juliet sequel Still Star-Crossed , got picked up to series for the 2016-'17 season. But all of that apparently wasn't enough for Rhimes, who is now poised to conquer the big screen in addition to the small: according to The Hollywood Reporter, Shonda Rhimes is making a Dare Divas movie with fellow Shondaland producer Betsy Beers for 20th Century Fox.
Who are the "Dare Divas"? That's an excellent question. The group of real-life women was founded in Detroit in 2008 by Sheri Hunter after her husband had succumbed to a heart attack at the age of 50. Together with her friends Angenette, Brenda, and Mia, Hunter embarked on a series of adventures around the world, including traditional trips like Paris vacations and long cruises, but also more daring escapades like tandem skydiving, cliff jumping, and white water rafting. The group's Facebook page states that the Dare Divas "are about inspiring women to live courageously and reach beyond their comfort zones as they live their lives to the fullest."
Although this will be Rhimes' first foray into feature films since founding her popular Shondaland empire — and therefore by far her most high-profile movie to date — she's not a complete newbie when it comes to the silver screen. Back before the days before Grey's, Rhimes wrote two features: the 2002 Britney Spears road trip dramedy Crossroads and the 2004 Anne Hathaway sequel The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.
Now that she has the full weight of her ABC empire behind her, hopefully Rhimes can use her pull to recruit top-natch talent for The Dare Divas. It's tempting to imagine the film as a greatest-hits version of Shondaland, with Viola Davis, Kerry Washington, Chandra Wilson, and Audra McDonald as the four friends. Can you even imagine? I can already smell the Oscars.
It's unclear as of yet whether Rhimes will write The Dare Divas herself or simply produce the film, but either way it's bound to be a must-see event for Shondaland devotees everywhere.
