Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey will team for a new series on the OWN Network.
Deadline reports:
Selma co-star and producer Oprah Winfrey has teamed with the film’s director Ava DuVernay to create a new original drama series for OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Inspired by the novel “Queen Sugar,” DuVernay is set to write, direct and executive produce the project, marking her first television drama series. Winfrey will executive produce and appear in multiple episodes in a recurring role. This marks the first time that Winfrey will act in a series for OWN. Production is scheduled to begin later this year.
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Adapted from the celebrated first-time novel “Queen Sugar” by Natalie Baszile, the contemporary series will chronicle a spirited woman who leaves her upscale Los Angeles lifestyle behind to claim an inheritance from her recently departed father – an 800-acre sugar cane farm in the heart of Louisiana. Her world and identity are turned upside down as she and her teenage daughter attempt to navigate a new and very different environment while rebuilding their farm from scratch. She is met with curiosity and community, with resistance and romance. It isn’t long before a transformation begins and she realizes that she’s been living a lot farther from her Southern roots than mere miles.
Ava and Oprah have proven themselves to be a great team. Oprah was a producer on Selma, and her work on the film have made her the first Black woman to produce an film nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award. Oprah portrayed Selma resident Annie Lee Cooper in the film.
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Kimberly Foster is the founder and editor of For Harriet. Email or Follow @KimberlyNFoster