Civil Rights Anthology Series From Will Smith and Jay-Z Is On The Way

by Krystal Franklin

April 14, 2020

Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Gucci

Will Smith and Jay-Z are teaming up again on a new project — and this time it will honor the lives and legacies of those in the civil rights movement. Women of the Movement, an anthology series that chronicles the civil rights movement as told by the women behind it, will reunite the two (they co-produced Fela! on Broadway in 2009 and both invested in Ethos, a Life Insurance start-up, in 2018) in a powerful way.

Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/WireImage

While production details aren’t confirmed, the writer’s room for the ABC series officially started this week — virtually, of course. Deadline reports, “The first eight-episode season Of Women of the Movement is inspired by the book Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement by Devery S. Anderson. It will center on Emmett Till’s mother, Mamie Till, who devoted her life to seeking justice in her son’s name following his brutal murder in the Jim Crow South.”

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Photo by Getty Images

The horrific story of Till will also be told in an upcoming project helmed by Taraji P. Henson‘s company, TPH Productions. The actress will produce and star as Till’s mother. The film was set to be directed by the late John Singleton.

TELL US: What other stories of the civil rights movement would you like brought to life?

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