The 1970s TV miniseries Roots will be reborn this coming May 30th with a highly anticipated remake and an exciting trailer has just been released to whet our appetites. After the success of its 1970s predecessor, Roots 2016 has some big shoes to fill but with an acclaimed cast including Malachi Kirby and Anna Paquin, only good things can be expected.
In 1977 when the original Roots came out, the series went on to captivate audiences. Each episode of the 8 part miniseries went on to rank in the top 100 rated TV shows of all time. Such a statistic alone will leave some viewers gulping in fear as to whether a remake could possibly hold a candle to its predecessor; on the other hand the promises of a remake will likely have the fans clamoring with excitement. The promise conveyed by the newly released trailer however will hopefully dispel any and all fears.
For those unfamiliar with Roots, the story follows Kunta Kinte, an African-American tribesman who is captured and taken to America to live a life of slavery. The series goes on to follow Kinte’s descendants through the years that follow and the suffering and conflicts they endure in the harsh realm of colonial America. The story highlights the important issue that is the history of African-Americans and makes no effort to censor the harsh treatment and unfair lifestyles they had as slaves. It is based on the bestselling novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley.
Including Kirby and Paquin, the remake is also set to star other familiar names including Forrest Whittaker, Laurence Fishburne, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Matthew Goode, Anika Noni Rose and more. Lots of love has also gone into the films development which features noted directors Phillip Noyce who directed The Giver and Mario van Peebles who you may remember from Empire.
Whether or not the Roots remake will be a success, the issues it highlights are still relevant today. True, slavery in America is indeed gone but the wounds it inflicted have not fully healed and may never do so. African-Americans today are disadvantaged in a number of key areas in society including work opportunities, health, and education.
With the first episode of the miniseries not set to come out for another three months, we have a long wait ahead of us. Hopefully more info will be released as the date crawls closer but until then we will have to make do with the trailer.
https://youtu.be/ZZwaqFhs9fo
