Two Oscar winners have joined A&E’s new version of Roots as the network has finalized the cast. Forest Whitaker and Anna Paquin will be joined by Jonathan Rhys Meyers and the previously cast Laurence Fishburne.
Whitaker has been cast as Fiddler, who helps Kunta Kinte escape slavery. Paquin will star as Nancy Holt, a Confederate soldier’s wife with her own agenda. Rhys Meyers will play Tom Lea, an uneducated slave owner and Tony winner Noni Wose was cast as Kunta’s daughter Kizzy.
Chad L. Coleman, Erica Tazel and Derek Luke also joined the cast. Newcomers Malachi Kirby and Rege-Jean Page will play Kinda Knite and Chicken George, respectively.
Fishburne will star as Alex Healy, who wrote Roots: The Saga of an American Family, which the series is based on.
A&E also announced the directing team. Phillip Noyce (Salt) will direct the first episode, with Mario Van Peebles (We The Party) helming night two. Thomas Carter (The Ben Carson Story) was picked for night three and Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy) will direct night four.
Questlove is the executive music producer. Will Packer is executive producing with LeVar Burton, who played Kunta Kinte in the original Roots series. Filming is currently underway in New Orleans and the production will move to South Africa later this month.
The new Roots series will air on History Channel, A&E and Lifetime.
image courtesy of INFphoto.com
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