History To Remake Iconic ‘Roots’ Miniseries

[Lencho01]

http://www.deadline.com/2013/11/roots-ramake-history-channel-miniseries/

History To Remake Iconic ‘Roots’ Miniseries

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday November 5, 2013 @ 11:02am PST

EXCLUSIVE: History is taking on one of most celebrated TV programs of all time, blockbuster 1977 miniseries Roots. The cable network is planning a new eight-hour Roots miniseries after acquiring rights to the 12-hour original from Mark Wolper, son of Roots executive producer, the late David L. Wolper, and to the book the mini was based on, Roots: The Saga Of An American Family, from the estate of author Alex Haley. Mark Wolper is on board as executive producer. The network is about to start discussions with writers for the project, which will draw both on the book and the original mini from a contemporary perspective. “We would like to revive that cultural icon for a new audience,” said History EVP and GM Dirk Hoogstra. The project originated with a remark by one of Hoogstra’s executives, VP Development and Programming Michael Stiller, who suggested the network should try to remake Roots. The idea was put into motion, and meetings were set up with Mark Wolper and the attorney representing the Haley estate. As talks progressed, it emerged that there was a second Roots remake project out there from different original auspices that had been eyed by FX. In the end, History stepped up and secured rights, clearing the way for a new Roots mini on the cable network.

The timing couldn’t be better — the topic of slavery is very much on people’s minds through a string of popular movies including last year’s Django Unchained, this year’s Oscar hopeful 12 Years A Slave, and with Lee Daniels’ The Butler also touching on the subject. Add to that the success of other recent historical films like Lincoln. “History in general is in the zeitgeist, which is great for us being a network whose name is History,” Hoogstra said. The cable network has played a major role in bringing history to the forefront of pop culture over the past couple of years with its blockbuster miniseries Hatfields & McCoys and The Bible as well as series The Vikings.

Roots became a cultural phenomenon when it premiered on ABC in January 1977, airing over eight consecutive nights. An unlikely hit with a largely black cast and a slavery theme, it broke ratings records, with the conclusion drawing 100 million viewers, almost half of the entire country. The mini also is credited with helping improve race relationships and establish David Wolper’s miniseries style of blending fact and fiction in a soap opera package. The mini earned a record 36 Emmy nominations, winning nine including best limited series; supporting actor for Ed Asner; and music, shared by Quincy Jones. Thirty six years on, Roots has shown remarkable longevity, consistently drawing solid ratings for its reruns. Last December, BET’s 35th anniversary airing draw 4.1 million viewers for the opening two parts.

Burton's response...

http://nymag.com/news/frank-rich/roots-levar-burton-2013-11/

In another 36 years, are we going to be discussing another brutal slavery film that critics hail as finally vanquishing the myth of Gone With the Wind?

At the screening of 12 Years a Slave, no less a personage than Russell Simmons told me that Roots was being remade. And my initial reaction was, Why? But, look, the bottom line for me is if one soul is moved irrevocably toward the side of humanity, then it’s worth it. Human beings are the laziest creatures in the history of creation. We would rather not do anything if we could avoid it. But social justice requires rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty. And I think moments like Roots and 12 Years a Slave are opportunities for art as a cultural force to step forward and lead the way. What we do with it is up to us.

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

Kunta Kinte !
Let's hope the remake is as good at the original.

 

[Tanin]

Is it about aliens invading during WWII? That is how history would do it.

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

Is it about aliens invading during WWII? That is how history would do it.

It looks like a jab at History channel but why ?

 

[SpideyFan866]

Um........ Why?

And if this has to be remade, I'd rather it be remade as a theatrical film, or films.

 

[Dr. Evil]

It looks like a jab at History channel but why ?

Because before they added "Ice Road Truckers" many of their documentaries involved Alien abductions and Nazis.

 

[Teelie]

I turned on the TV the other night and it was on The History Channel... which had some alien conspiracy theory show going on. I literally and turned the channel.

Roots I think is still relevant and despite the alien and WII obsession The History Channel often has they can do very good miniseries and documentaries.

That is why I'm hopeful this series will be as good as their past stuff.

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

I understand.
The only show I follow from History Channel is Viking.

 

[charl_huntress]

I blame "12 Years a Slave" for all this resurgence in slavery TV and movies. I hate this stuff and will not be watching.

 

[Lencho01]

‘Roots’ Remake A Go As Event Series On History, A&E & Lifetime; Will Packer & Original Star LeVar Burton To Produce

 

[Lencho01]

‘Roots’ Remake Adds Laurence Fishburne as Alex Haley

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

id be curious with how much this sticks to historical accuracy. i dont know what its like state side but a lot of historical dramas in the uk seem to be getting "cleaned up" incase of offense

 

[Teelie]

As it turns out, Roots was mostly plagarized, made up or embellished so historical accuracy is less important in this case.

 

[Lencho01]

British Actor Malachi Kirby Cast As Kunta Kinte In ‘Roots’ Remake

 

[Lencho01]

‘Roots’ A+E Mini Sets Cast: Anna Paquin, Forest Whitaker, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Derek Luke, Others Take On Iconic Roles

 

[Lencho01]

[YT]ZZwaqFhs9fo[/YT]

 

[<(o_o)>]

‘Roots’ A+E Mini Sets Cast: Anna Paquin, Forest Whitaker, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Derek Luke, Others Take On Iconic Roles

No James Earl Jones?

 

[Golgo-13]

Looking forward to the new take on this. Starts Monday, with a new ep each day for 4 eps total.

On a side note, anyone watch the series Underground on WGN Network?

 

[Lencho01]

I haven't checked out Underground, but it seems people like it.

 

[Lencho01]

I've only seen the first episode so far. It's rough, man.

 

[Lantern Venom]

This version of the story managed to be both brutal and beautiful at the same time. Many of the costumes and wide shots were breathtaking. Some of the violent scenes were very difficult to watch. While this remake hit the necessary notes to honor the novel, there were also some different parts from the book highlighted as well as some new twists for those already familiar with the '77 miniseries.

While there were many outstanding performances in this retelling, Forest Whitaker still managed to set himself apart. This version of Fiddler was quite different than the Louis Gossett Jr. portrayal, and his arc ended with an emotional flourish.

 

[Lencho01]

I finished the whole thing. Overall, I really liked it. The cast, story, and action were great.

I agree with historian and Roots expert, Matthew Delmont (his thoughts on each part found at Mother Jones) when describing this new version as an action film compared to the older's soap opera style to fit with today's audiences and their expectations. I had only ever seen a little bit of the original miniseries and have never read the book. I'll definitely be buying this one.

Some interviews...

The Cast of the Original "Roots" Knows All About Hollywood's Diversity Problem

The Star of the Original "Roots" Explains Why the Remake Is Must-Watch Television

'Roots' Premiere: Cast Discusses Why the Influential Miniseries Needed to be Revived

'Roots' Reborn: How a Slave Saga Was Remade for the Black Lives Matter Era

 

[Lantern Venom]

I finished the whole thing. Overall, I really liked it. The cast, story, and action were great.

I agree with historian and Roots expert, Matthew Delmont (his thoughts on each part found at Mother Jones) when describing this new version as an action film compared to the older's soap opera style to fit with today's audiences and their expectations. I had only ever seen a little bit of the original miniseries and have never read the book. I'll definitely be buying this one.

Some interviews...

The Cast of the Original "Roots" Knows All About Hollywood's Diversity Problem

The Star of the Original "Roots" Explains Why the Remake Is Must-Watch Television

'Roots' Premiere: Cast Discusses Why the Influential Miniseries Needed to be Revived

'Roots' Reborn: How a Slave Saga Was Remade for the Black Lives Matter Era

It's interesting to hear the original cast comment on how the original adaptation impacted TV & pop culture, but didn't translate into personal success for them.

 

[Lencho01]

It's interesting to hear the original cast comment on how the original adaptation impacted TV & pop culture, but didn't translate into personal success for them.

Yeah, with the way things are now, the lesser known cast members are more likely to have this help their careers.

 

[Lantern Venom]

Yeah, with the way things are now, the lesser known cast members are more likely to have this help their careers.

I'm definitely a fan of Malachi Kirby after this. It couldn't have been easy to take an iconic role (with the original actor on hand as well) and have to hold one's own with established talents like Forest Whitaker and James Purefoy. I hope to see him land some lucrative roles in the near future.

Also, as a Walking Dead fan, I marked out when I saw Chad Coleman as Mingo.