or


[09/16/15 - 11:43 AM]
A+E Networks Announces Cast for Its Event Miniseries "Roots" from A+E Studios
Said ensemble includes Forest Whitaker, Anna Paquin, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anika Noni Rose, Chad L. Coleman, Erica Tazel and Derek Luke.

[via press release from History]

A+E NETWORKS ANNOUNCES CAST FOR ITS EVENT MINISERIES "ROOTS" FROM A+E STUDIOS

Academy Award(R) Winners Forest Whitaker and Anna Paquin, Golden Globe(R) Award Winner Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anika Noni Rose, Chad L. Coleman, Erica Tazel, Derek Luke and Newcomers Malachi Kirby and Regé-Jean Page to Star

Mario Van Peebles and Bruce Beresford set as Directors for Nights Two and Four

Production Currently Underway in New Orleans, and Set to Begin later this month in South Africa

New York, NY - September 16, 2015 - A+E Networks announces new casting for its four-night, eight-hour scripted event miniseries "Roots," from A+E Studios, including Academy Award winner(R) Forest Whitaker (Lee Daniels' The Butler, South Paw) as "Fiddler," a slave who tries to mentor Kunta Kinte and risks his life to help him escape; Academy Award winner Anna Paquin (True Blood) as "Nancy Holt," the wife of a Confederate officer who has her own agenda when it comes to the handling of slaves; Golden Globe(R) Award winning and Emmy(R) Award nominated actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors) as "Tom Lea," an uneducated slave owner desperate to claw his way into the elite company of Southern gentility; Tony Award(R) winner Anika Noni Rose (Dream Girls, The Good Wife, The Princess and the Frog) as "Kizzy," the cherished, smart daughter of Kunta Kinte who maintains her family pride and warrior spirit; Chad L. Coleman (The Walking Dead, The Wire) as "Mingo," a stern no-nonsense slave who keeps the Lea plantation afloat; Erica Tazel (Justified) as "Matilda," a preacher's daughter and love interest to "Chicken George"; and Derek Luke (Captain America: The First Avenger, Antwone Fisher) as "Silla Ba Dibba," the military trainer of Juffure, charged with transforming teen boys into powerful Mandinka Warriors.

After a global search to find the perfect actors to play the iconic roles of "Kunta Kinte" and "Chicken George" that spanned 15 locations (Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Congo, South Africa, Kenya, Los Angeles, London, Toronto, Vancouver, Dallas, Austin, Atlanta, New York, Paris and Ireland), newcomers Malachi Kirby and Regé-Jean Page (Survivor, Waterloo) stood out from the crowd. Both Malachi as Kunta Kinte and Regé-Jean as Chicken George showed an emotional depth and understanding of the characters that is critical to the project. Malachi was handpicked by executive producers Will Packer and LeVar Burton, who played the original Kunta Kinte.

Kunta Kinte is a Mandinka warrior who is educated, proud, strong and resilient - all traits that empower him when he is captured by slavers, while Chicken George, Kizzy's son, is a handsome social magnet who knows how to transfix a crowd with a story, yet doesn't appreciate what he has until his luck abandons him.

They join previously announced Laurence Fishburne (Black-ish) as Alex Haley, the author of the novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Production is underway in New Orleans and set to begin later this month in South Africa.

Multi-award winning Mario Van Peebles (We The Party, Posse, New Jack City) and two-time Oscar(R) nominee Bruce Beresford (Tender Mercies, Breaker Morant, Bonnie & Clyde, Driving Miss Daisy,) are set to direct nights two and four respectively. They join previously announced multi-award winning Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, Salt) and Emmy Award winner Thomas Carter (Coach, Gifted Hands, The Ben Carson Story), who are directing nights one and three respectively. Grammy Award(R) winner Questlove is also on-board as the Executive Music Producer for the production.

"Roots" is a historical portrait of American slavery recounting the journey of one family's will to survive, endure and ultimately carry on their legacy despite enormous hardship and inhumanity. Spanning multiple generations, the lineage begins with young Kunta Kinte, who is captured in his homeland of The Gambia and transported in brutal conditions to colonial America, where he's sold into slavery. Throughout the series, the family continues to face adversity while bearing witness and contributing to notable events in U.S. history, including the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, slave uprisings and eventual emancipation. The story of Kunta Kinte and the women and men who came after him echoes through the history of millions of Americans of African descent, and reveals powerful truths about the universal resilience of the human spirit.

"Roots" is an A+E Studios production in association with Marc Toberoff and The Wolper Organization, the company that produced the original "Roots." Will Packer, Marc Toberoff, Mark Wolper, Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal serve as executive producers. LeVar Burton and Korin D. Huggins are co-executive producers. Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal, Alison McDonald, and Charles Murray are writing. Dirk Hoogstra, Arturo Interian and Michael Stiller serve as Executives in Charge of Production for HISTORY. "Roots" is distributed internationally by A+E Networks under the A+E Studios International banner.

About A+E Networks

A+E Networks(R), LLC. is an award-winning, global media content company offering consumers a diverse communications environment ranging from television networks to websites, DVDs, gaming, watch apps and educational software. A+E Networks is comprised of A&E(R), Lifetime(R), History(R), LMN(R), FYI(TM), H2(TM), A+E Studios(TM), History en Espanol(TM), Crime & Investigation Network(TM), Military History(TM), Lifetime Real Women(R), A&E IndieFilms(R), A+E Networks International(R), A+E Networks Digital(R) and A+E Networks Consumer Products(TM). A+E Networks channels and branded programming reach more than 350 million households in over 200 territories. A+E Networks, LLC. is a joint venture of Disney-ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation.

About A+E Studios

A+E Studios is the studio unit of the award-winning global media company A+E Networks, LLC. A+E Studios creates, produces and distributes high quality scripted programming across all networks and platforms in the A+E Networks portfolio, including A&E Network, Lifetime, History, LMN, FYI, H2 and A&E IndieFilms. A+E Studios' slate of programming consists of scripted series, event series and movies, including "UnREAL" for Lifetime and "Texas Rising," "Sons of Liberty," and "Houdini" for History, among others.





  [september 2015]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· ROOTS (HISTORY)





[01/31/25 - 10:05 AM]
Emotions Are High, Tears Run Dry and a Web of Lies Unravel When Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Potomac" Three-Part Reunion Begins Sunday, Feb. 16 at 8 P.M. ET/PT
Housewives Gizelle Bryant, Ashley Darby, Dr. Wendy Osefo, Mia Thornton, Stacey Rusch, Keiarna Stewart and friends Jacqueline Blake and Jassi Rideaux flash back on all the fun and games throughout the season, but take each other to task for their shenanigans.

[01/31/25 - 10:01 AM]
From Creator Michael Cusack, "YOLO: Rainbow Trinity" Premieres March 9 on Adult Swim
Season three finds Australia's famed party duo, Sarah (Sarah Bishop) and Rachel (Todor Manojlovic), encountering more fun and silly characters populating their hometown of Wollongong than ever before

[01/31/25 - 09:40 AM]
CBS Thursday Line Up Returns, Up from Its Season Average
"Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage" hit a series high averaging 7.72 million viewers, and up +10% from its season-to-date average (7.02 million viewers).

[01/31/25 - 08:30 AM]
Hit Reality Sensation "Married at First Sight" Finds New Home at Peacock
Originally launched in 2014, "Married at First Sight" is a reality series that follows singles looking for a life-long partnership as they embark on a provocative experiment: getting legally married to a stranger the moment they first meet.

[01/31/25 - 08:00 AM]
Presenters Announced for "The 67th Annual Grammy Awards"
Taking the stage will be Cardi B, Gloria Estefan, Olivia Rodrigo, Queen Latifah, SZA, Taylor Swift, Victoria Monét and Will Smith.

[01/31/25 - 07:30 AM]
Video: Acorn TV Releases Trailer and Key Art for New Zealand Mystery Series "A Remarkable Place to Die"
Starring Chelsie Preston Crawford and acclaimed Australian actress Rebecca Gibney, the four-episode original series premieres Monday, February 17 on Acorn TV in the US and Canada, with new episodes releasing weekly.

[01/31/25 - 07:05 AM]
FOX Sports Announces 2025 Daytona Speedweeks On-Air Team for Its 25th Season of NASCAR Coverage
Calling the Daytona 500 for FOX Sports on Sunday, February 16, is play-by-play announcer Mike Joy, covering his 46th Daytona 500 for live TV or radio, alongside analysts Clint Bowyer, in his fifth year with FOX, and 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2007 Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick, entering his second season in the booth.

[01/31/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light" Preview
Based on the final novel in Hilary Mantel's multi award-winning trilogy, "Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light" premieres on "Masterpiece" Sunday, March 23.

[01/31/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: Next on Netflix - Select Films & Series International Slate
A collection of sneak peeks and first looks from Sweden, Turkey, Denmark, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Brazil, Norway and Australia.

[01/31/25 - 05:01 AM]
"Caught," Netflix's New Argentinian Thriller, Premieres on March 26
The limited series is based on the novel by Harlan Coben and shot in San Carlos de Bariloche.

[01/31/25 - 02:01 AM]
Video: Netflix Unveils the Official Trailer for "Aitana: Metamorphosis"
The documentary series will invite Aitana's fans to get to know her as they have never seen her before, enjoying her greatest hits and navigating complicated bumps in a process of personal and professional growth and maturity as she continues to establish herself as one of the biggest stars of Spanish music.

[01/30/25 - 08:31 PM]
Middle-Class Ambitions Meets High-Stakes Crime: "Dabba Cartel" Arrives February 28 on Netflix
"Dabba Cartel" is a unique tale of a reluctant cartel: the lives of five middle-class women and their families are thrown into chaos when their low-key dabba service spirals into an unexpected venture - a high-stakes drug delivery operation.

[01/30/25 - 04:43 PM]
Video: Official Trailer #3 - "Common Side Effects" - February 2 - Adult Swim
The series premieres this Sunday, February 2 at 11:30/10:30c on Adult Swim, next day on Max.

[01/30/25 - 04:10 PM]
Video: Netflix Debuted Highly Anticipated Slate with New Title Announcements, New Clips, New Images, Full Slate and More
2025 marks the return of some of Netflix's most popular shows of all time and the release of huge new films and series from some of the biggest names in entertainment.

[01/30/25 - 04:01 PM]
Go on a Journey of Love and Healing This Valentine's Day with K-Romance Series "Melo Movie"
At the heart of "Melo Movie" is the rekindled romance of Ko Gyeom, played by Choi Woo-shik, and Kim Mubee, portrayed by Park Bo-young.