OWN CEO Oprah Winfrey will team with Selma producer Ava DuVernay to create a new original drama series for the network.
DuVernay will write, direct and executively produce the series, which is inspired by the acclaimed novel Queen Sugar. Winfrey will also serve as an executive producer for the series and will appear in multiple episodes in a recurring role, marking the first time that Winfrey will act in a series for OWN.
Production for the series, which will chronicle a spirited woman who leaves Los Angeles to claim an inheritance of an 800-acre sugar cane farm in the heart of Louisiana, is scheduled to begin later this year.
The series will join several OWN scripted shows developed by Tyler Perry, including the hit show Haves and the Have Nots.
“I loved this book and immediately saw it as a series for OWN,” said Winfrey in a statement. “The story’s themes of reinventing your life, parenting alone, family connections and conflicts, and building new relationships are what I believe will connect our viewers to this show.”
