After announcing a Hurricane Katrina drama that would reunite her with Selma star David Oyelowo, Ava DuVernay has lined up another project: a TV series co-created by Oprah Winfrey to air on OWN.
DuVernay will adapt Natalie Baszile’s novel Queen Sugar, which centers on Charley, an African-American widow who uproots herself and her 11-year-old daughter by moving the two of them from Los Angeles to Louisiana when she inherits a 800-actre sugarcane field. With no prior farming experience, Charley must revive the farm while dealing with the region’s complicated history and a half-brother who is resentful that he was cut out of their father’s will.
Winfrey will co-star in the production. Shooting will begin this fall.
For her part, DuVernay expressed delight that she’ll have the opportunity to expand her storytelling canvas and “take [her] time to tell a story.”
[via The Playlist]