True Blood’s Rutina Wesley Cast In Lead Role For Ava DuVernay’s OWN Series Queen SugarPosted by Wilson Morales
January 13, 2016
Source: Deadline
According to Deadline, True Blood’s Rutina Wesley has been cast in a lead role for the OWN’s new original drama series Queen Sugar, from Ava Duvernay and Warner Horizon Television.
DuVernay will write, direct and exec produce the drama, adapted from the novel “Queen Sugar” by Natalie Baszile. Oprah Winfrey is set to appear in a recurring role. “Queen Sugar” marks DuVernay’s first television series and Winfrey’s acting debut on OWN.
Winfrey was a producer and actor on the Oscar nominated film “Selma,” playing the role of Civil Rights Activist Annie Lee Cooper.
According to Amazon, this is a mother-daughter story of reinvention; about an African American woman who unexpectedly inherits a sugarcane farm in Louisiana
“Why exactly Charley Bordelon’s late father left her eight hundred sprawling acres of sugarcane land in rural Louisiana is as mysterious as it was generous. Recognizing this as a chance to start over, Charley and her eleven-year-old daughter, Micah, say good-bye to Los Angeles.
They arrive just in time for growing season but no amount of planning can prepare Charley for a Louisiana that’s mired in the past: as her judgmental but big-hearted grandmother tells her, cane farming is always going to be a white man’s business. As the sweltering summer unfolds, Charley must balance the overwhelming challenges of her farm with the demands of a homesick daughter, a bitter and troubled brother, and the startling desires of her own heart.”
Wesley will play Charley’s sister, Nova Bordelon (Wesley), a formidable journalist and activist based in New Orleans.
Best known for her role as Tara Thornton in HBO’s True Blood, Wesley also had major recurring roles on Hannibal and Arrow. She was last seen in a smaller role opposite Sanaa Lathan in The Perfect Guy. Wesley is repped by Inspire Entertainment and SMGSB.
In a statement released last February, DuVernay commented, “From the moment I was introduced to the book, I was captivated by the idea of a modern woman wrestling with identity, family, culture and the echoes of history. To bring this kind of storytelling to life alongside Oprah for her network is wildly wonderful. I’m excited about what’s in store.”
