After the success of Selma, director Ava DuVernay is reteaming with Oprah Winfrey for a new drama series on OWN.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, DuVernay will adapt Natalie Baszile's novel Queen Sugar for the network.
Queen Sugar was released just a few days ago to pretty favorable reviews. It tells the story of a single mother who struggles to make a new life for herself in the South, dealing with questions of identity and family.
Winfrey will be executive producing the series as well as starring as a recurring character in a few episodes. This will be the first time Oprah will be appearing as an actress on the network, and she told The Hollywood Reporter that she hopes to focus the network on more scripted projects that she would appear in.
Queen Sugar will also be the first piece of original programming on OWN which Tyler Perry is not producing.
DuVernay told Variety that she was "captivated by the idea of a modern woman wrestling with identity, family, culture and the echoes of history."
Winfrey and DuVernay previously collaborated for Selma, which was both a critical and financial success, holding a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossing $43 million at the box office, according to Box office Mojo. However, DuVernay was notably not nominated for best director at the Academy Awards, a decision considered by many to be one of the year's biggest snubs.
Queen Sugar will begin production later this year.
image courtesy of Roger Wong/INFphoto.com