Tyler Perry Takes on the True Story of the 6888th Battalion (2025)

Almost a full century after the end of World War II, new stories about the quiet heroism of everyday individuals continue to come to light. Now Tyler Perry is tackling the war with his new filmThe Six Triple Eight, the story of the war’s only Women’s Army Corps unit of color, which stars Kerry Washington. Perry wrote and directed the project and produced it alongside Nicole Avant, Angi Bones, Tony L. Strickland, Keri Selig, and Carlota Espinosa.

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion contributed to the war effort in a unique way: by sorting through a three-year backlog of mail (17 million pieces of it!) that hadn’t been delivered to American soldiers far from home. In the face of discrimination and a vast, unfamiliar country divided by global conflict, these 855 women brought hope to the front lines.

“A lot of people do not want us to succeed,” Washington says as Captain Charity Adams in the film’s new teaser. “We have the most to prove.”

But that’s exactly what they did. Given six months to complete the task, the 6888th accomplished their mission in less than 90 days, providing morale when the United States needed it most.

You can read on for a full briefing on the film.

When will The Six Triple Eight be on Netflix?

The Six Triple Eight will be in select theaters on Dec. 6 and stream on Netflix on Dec. 20.

Bob Mahoney

Bob Mahoney

Bob Mahoney/Perry Well Films 2/Netflix

What is The Six Triple Eight about?

The Six Triple Eight tells the inspiring true story of the incredible and brave women of the first and only Women’s Army Corps unit of color to be stationed overseas during World War II.

During the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, star and executive producer Kerry Washington sat down with The Six Triple Eight producer Nicole Avant for a talk about legacy and impact in storytelling. “Every single person, Black, white, anywhere in between, male, female — anybody can see themselves in those characters,” Avant said. “Because all stories, to me, are human stories. Everything to me is about humanity.”

That humanity continued to shine through in unpredictable ways during the production of The Six Triple Eight. “I felt like these women were with us in this process,” Washington said. “You felt their spirit all the time.”

Little moments throughout filming reminded the crew of their place in history. One local resident asked what the team was working on; upon learning it was a film about the Six Triple Eight, he had a contribution to make. “He pulled out a trunk and he opened it up,” Washington said. “And it was my character Charity Adams’ actual trunk. It had her uniforms, it had seeds from her victory garden. It had letters, it had pictures. It was unbelievable.”

Bob Mahoney

Is The Six Triple Eight based on a true story?

Yes. The 6888th Central Postal Directory was the first and only Women’s Army Corps unit of color to be stationed in Europe during World War II. When they were deployed to Europe in February 1945, the 855 women in the 6888th were handed a backlog of 17 million pieces of mail, some labeled with incorrect or incomplete addresses, and asked to ship it out in six months. Their motto? “No mail, low morale.” The task bore high emotional stakes; the families of servicemen at home had not received word from their loved ones in months. Working in three eight-hour shifts, the women of the 6888th set out to work.

Still, they faced nearly insurmountable odds. Despite the importance of their responsibilities, the battalion was put in segregated housing and relegated to poorly maintained buildings often lacking light and heat. Through sheer will and ingenuity, they remained undeterred, creating a community of their own, complete with a mess hall, hair salon, and refreshment bar. Within 90 days, they had accomplished their mission — in half the time allotted.

Decades later, the 6888th Battalion’s efforts have finally received the praise they deserve. In 2018, a monument to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was dedicated at the Buffalo Soldier Monument Park at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. And in 2023, Adams became the first Black woman in US history to have an Army fort named after her: Fort Gregg-Adams in Prince George County, Virginia.

Perry was inspired to make The Six Triple Eight by a connection he made with Lena Derriecott King, a former member of the group who died at the age of 100 in January 2024. “We sat in her house for a couple of hours just talking, having a great conversation,” Perry said in a tribute video to King. “And when I left there, I had a whole movie in my mind that I wanted to write for her.” Before she passed, Perry sat at her bedside and showed King an incomplete version of the film.

As of King’s passing, there are only two members of the 6888th Battalion remaining: Fannie McClendon and Anna Mae Robertson. In recent years, their story has finally been told. President Joe Biden presented the 6888th with the Congressional Gold Medal in 2022, and Perry’s script for The Six Triple Eight is based on a 2019 article by Kevin M. Hymel published in WWII History Magazine. The film also features “The Journey,” an original song written by Diane Warren and performed by H.E.R., with choreography by Debbie Allen.

Who’s in the cast of The Six Triple Eight?

Joining the cast is a star-studded ensemble worthy of the film’s real-life inspirations:

• Kerry Washington (Scandal, the upcoming Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery)
• Ebony Obsidian (Sistas, Master of None)
• Milauna Jackson (A Jazzman’s Blues, How to Get Away with Murder)
• Kylie Jefferson (Tiny Pretty Things)
• Shanice Shantay (The Wiz Live!, Perfect Harmony)
• Sarah Jeffery (Across the Line, Charmed)
• Pepi Sonuga (Queens, Famous in Love)
• Moriah Brown (Power Book II: Ghost, Raising Dion)
• Jeanté Godlock (The Simone Biles Story: Courage to Soar, Daybreak)
• Jay Reeves (Safety, All American)
• Jeffery Johnson (Bird of Paradise, Elkhorn)
• Baadja-Lyne Odums (Eddie’s, This Is Us)
• Donna Biscoe (Hidden Figures, The Fundamentals of Caring)
• Gregg Sulkin (Runaways, Faking It)
• Scott Daniel Johnson (The Banker, A Man in Full)
• Susan Sarandon (Thelma & Louise, Dead Man Walking)
• Dean Norris (Breaking Bad, Unfrosted)
• Sam Waterston (Law & Order, Grace and Frankie)
• Oprah Winfrey (The Color Purple)

Bob Mahoney

Washington’s casting was a moment of synchronicity. “During COVID, we did this series on Instagram where I was sort of dressed because I was bored,” Washington recalled to Avant. “And it was Black History Month and Women’s History Month. So we did Black Herstory, where I was dressing up as all of these incredible Black women through history. And one of them was Lena, who is [a] central character in the battalion.”

“That was a sign for me,” Avant told the Tribeca audience. “I remember calling Tyler, and I said, ‘This is Kerry Washington’s role, period. It has to be Kerry Washington.’ ” And so it was.

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