The 'Hannibal' star will portray Alex Haley, the author of the novel 'Roots: The Saga of an American Family', which story will be incorporated into the A&E miniseries.
- July 2, 2015
AceShowbiz -
Laurence Fishburne has landed a role on A&E's "Roots" remake. The "Black-ish" star is tapped to portray Alex Haley, the author of the novel "Roots: The Saga of an American Family" which tells the story about the life of Kunta Kinte and served as the basis for the 1977 miniseries starring LeVar Burton.
The upcoming eight-part miniseries is dubbed an original, contemporary take which will include both the novel's story, about American slavery based on the life of Kunta Kinte, along with "carefully researched new scholarship of the time."
Other cast members have not been announced yet. Mark Wolper as well as original "Roots" stars LeVar Burton and Will Packer will executive produce the upcoming series, which will air on History, A&E Network and Lifetime in 2016.
The news of Fishburne's casting on the "Roots" remake comes as "Hannibal" is releasing its cast of contract. The show's lead stars Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen are reportedly now free agents and currently eying new TV and film projects as "Hannibal" producer Gaumont International Television is still looking for a new home for the psychological thriller after it was canceled by NBC last June.
Fishburne played Jack Crawford, head of Behavioral Sciences at the FBI, on the critically-acclaimed series. He has a recurring role as Earl "Pops" Johnson on ABC's sitcom "Black-ish".
