Kerry Washington to Star in and Produce Film Adaptation of Diane Cardwell’s Memoir ‘Rockaway’ for Netflix

Nichelle Tramble Spellman will write the movie’s script.

Emmy winner Kerry Washington is gearing up for a new adventure, set to star in and produce “Rockaway” for Netflix.

The feature film adaptation of Diane Cardwell’s memoir, “Rockaway: Surfing Headlong Into a New Life,” will be written by NAACP Image Award winner Nichelle Tramble Spellman (creator of Apple TV Plus’ “Truth Be Told”).

In the movie, Washington plays a Manhattan-based journalist who unexpectedly discovers the transcendent power of surfing while on a routine assignment, and finds herself running from the comfortable life she’s always known toward a life of romance and self-discovery in eclectic Rockaway Beach.

Published in July 2020, “Rockaway: Surfing Headlong Into a New Life” tells the story of the Cardwell’s own reinvention as she discovered the world of surfing. The Houghton Mifflin Harcourt book was named one of the best adventure travel books of the year by Outside Magazine.

“Rockaway” is produced by 3dot Productions’ Liza Chasin, who has a multi-year first-look deal with Netflix; Washington and Pilar Savone for Simpson Street; and Todd Shuster for Aevitas Entertainment. Cardwell and Margaret Chernin serve as executive producers.

The new project is Washington’s latest with Netflix, after starring opposite Charlize Theron, Laurence Fishburne and Michelle Yeoh in the upcoming movie “The School for Good and Evil,” directed by Paul Feig. The new film, led by Sophia Anne Caruso and Sofia Wylie, adapts Soman Chainani’s popular fantasy fairytale novels.

The award-winning actor and producer previously partnered with the streamer for “The Prom” and “American Son,” and most recently starred in and produced “Little Fires Everywhere.”

Washington is represented by CAA, Washington Square Arts, attorney Gretchen Rush and The Lede Company. Tramble Spellman is repped by Industry, CAA and Morris Yorn.