Oprah Winfrey and award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay (Selma) have joined together to create a new original drama series for OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Inspired by the acclaimed 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.
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.
