The 1977 original miniseries, Roots, based on American slavery, is set to make a TV movie revival with an all-star cast. Among those named to star in the remake is Soul Food's Mekhi Phifer.
The series which first aired in January 1977, over an eight-day period will soon make its way back to the small screen according to Variety and has already begun filiming in Louisiana. Phifer has been added to play Jerusalem, described as "a mute slave who works on the Murray plantation, but who is not quite what he appears to be," according to Variety. He is set to join the likes of other A-list actors like Laurence Fishburne, Forest Whitaker and Anika Noni Rose. Though the original series ran over a period of eight days, the reboot will run as an eight-hour, four-night miniseries, and will air on the History Channel, A&E and Lifetime.
According to an April Variety report, Will Packer and LeVar Burton are set to produce the reboot, and are pairing with Mark Wolper, the son of the original producer of the 1977 series, David L. Wolper. Burton was the leading actor who played Kuta Kinte in the original series that brought in great ratings for ABC. He is hopeful that the remake will do just the same for the new networks and also introduce the miniseries to the younger generation that may not know anything about the TV production, or the book of the same name, written by Alex Haley.
"My career began with Roots, and I am proud to be a part of this new adaptation," Burton stated according to the April Variety article. "There is a huge audience of contemporary young Americans who do not know the story of Roots or its importance. I believe now is the right time to tell this story so that we can all be reminded of its impact on our culture and identity."
British actor Malachi Kirby has been cast to fill Burton's shoes in the role of Kinte as reported by New York Post.
The remake is set to air in 2016.
