Could the shoddy treatment received by Ava DuVernay's Selma at the Oscars been a blessing in disguise? It seems to have lit a fire under her to begin developing her own work rather than taking on big studio projects that are largely out of her control. So last week we learned she and David Oyelowo would be reteaming on a film set during Hurricane Katrina, and now she's joined with the biggest gun in the business, Oprah Winfrey, for a new drama series on the small screen.
According to Deadline, Oprah will co-star and co-create a series based on the Natalie Baszile novel, "Queen Sugar". DuVernay will exec-producer, write, and direct the series about 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."
The show will air on Oprah's OWN network, naturally, making this her first recurring series role.
