On the success of History’s 2012 miniseries, Hatfields & McCoys, and amidst the rising popularity of African American history in film, the cable network is looking to revive one of the most acclaimed depictions of slavery ever committed to the screen. According to Deadline, the 1977 ABC miniseries Roots is rumored to be on its way to getting the green light very soon.
History acquired the rights to the series in late 2013 from the original Roots executive producer’s son Mark Wolper and the novel Roots: The Saga Of An American Family from the Alex Haley estate. Allen Hughes (of The Hughes Brothers) has also reportedly joined to direct the series, which will be written by Mark Rosenthal and Larry Konner. He will join Wolper and Marc Toberoff as an executive producer the miniseries.
Hughes broke out back in 1993 with his debut film Menace II Society, which he co-wrote and co-directed with his brother Albert. Their followup film Dead Presidents, which developed a cult following, helped solidify their status as filmmakers. Allen’s more recent works include the Denzel Washington-led The Book of Eli and Broken City, starring Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Jones. He most recently directed the pilot episode of the 2014 Fox TV series Gang Related.
There has been no word yet as to who will star in the upcoming Roots remake or when the show will air.
William Fanelli is a regular contributor to Flickering Myth – You can follow him on Twitter
