Director Ava DuVernay hasn’t had many big-name projects since Selma, but she’s jumping right back into things with her new series, Queen Sugar, which will tell the story of Charley Bordelon, a Louisiana native who moves back with her son from Los Angeles after she inherits her deceased father’s farm. The series is based on the novel by Natalie Baszile and is executive-produced by DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey, and Melissa Carte. The trailer is a fast-paced minute-and-a-half clip, and stars Rutina Wesley (True Blood), Kofi Siriboe, and Dawn-Lyen Gardner. Oprah will have a role in the show, too, reportedly.
Aside from her success with Selma, in 2012 DuVernay won the Best Director Prize at Sundance for her film Middle of Nowhere, and was the first black female director to be nominated for a Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Picture. DuVernay has continued to further narratives that center on marginalized groups of people, highlighting and giving voices to the black community. Her next project could be one of several things, from a fashion epic to a sci-fi epic to A Wrinkle in Time.
But, for now, there’s Queen Sugar, which will premiere this fall on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Watch the trailer below: