After moving to Los Angeles to become a screenwriter in the 1990s, Gregory Allen Howard had a brilliant idea—turn the life of African-American icon Harriet Tubman into a kick-ass action-adventure movie. Having studied her life as a history major at Princeton University, Howard knew just how remarkable her story was. Unfortunately, it would take over twenty years before the stars aligned to bring it to the screen. In the meantime, Howard brought other real stories to the screen, including the award-winning 2000 sports drama Remember the Titans and the 2001 boxing biopic Ali. On November 1, Howard’s vision of Harriet with Kasi Lemmons directing and Cynthia Erivo playing the legendary abolitionist and freedom fighter will finally arrive in theaters.

We sat down with Howard to talk about how Harriet Tubman inspired him, finding the right actress to play her, and why Harriet’s life still matters.

Get tickets to see Harriet today.