Newly-minted Tony nominee Adrienne Warren will play Mamie Till-Mobley in ABC’s civil rights limited series, “Women of the Movement.”
The six-episode series will center on Mamie Till-Mobley and her fight to get justice for son Emmett Till, a 14-year old who was lynched in the Jim Crow South in 1955. It will be based on the book “Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement” by Devery S. Anderson.
Marissa Jo Cerar will write the series and serve as showrunner. Gina Prince-Bythewood (“The Old Guard,” “Love & Basketball)” will direct the first episode.
Warren is coming off a Best Actress in a Musical Tony nomination for her celebrated performance as Tina Turner in “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.”
“Women of the Movement,” which also counts Jay-Z and Will Smith as executive producers, was initially developed as an anthology — with a second season to potentially focus on Rosa Parks. Along with Jay-Z and Smith, Jay Brown, Tyran “Ty Ty” Smith (Roc Nation), and James Lassiter (Overbrook Entertainment) will executive produce alongside Aaron Kaplan and Dana Honor from Kapital Entertainment. The series is produced by Kapital Entertainment.
The show will premiere in 2021.
Deadline was first to report on Warren’s casting.