Adrienne Warren To Star As Mamie Till-Mobley In ABC Limited Series ‘Women of the Movement’

EXCLUSIVE: Adrienne Warren, fresh off herTony nomination for Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, is set to headline ABC’s The Women of the Movement. This marks the first casting in the project, from creator/writer Marissa Jo Cerar and a producing team that includes Jay-Z, Will Smith and Aaron Kaplan.

The six-episode limited series, set to premiere in 2021, centers on Mamie Till-Mobley (Warren), who devoted her life to seeking justice for her son Emmett Till.

After the brutal murder of her son in the Jim Crow South, Mamie (Warren), a soft-spoken young mother in Chicago, put her own life on the line to seek justice in his name. Unwilling to let Emmett’s murder disappear from the headlines, Mamie chose to bear her pain on the world’s stage, and as a result ignited the civil rights movement as we know it today.

The 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. Cerar serves as showrunner and executive produces with Jay-Z, Jay Brown and Tyran “Ty Ty” Smith via Roc Nation; Will Smith and James Lassiter for Overbrook; as well as Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor and Michael Lohmann of Kapital Entertainment. Also executive producing are Gina Prince-Bythewood, who will direct the first episode, Rosanna Grace for Serendipity Film Group; Alex Foster and John Powers Middleton of Middleton Media Group; and David Clark via Mazo Partners. Kapital Entertainment is the studio.

Warren yesterday received a Best Actress Tony Award nomination for Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. Warren’s performance as Tina Turner has garnered strong reviews has earned the actress Drama Desk, Antonyo and Outer Critics Circle awards. Warren originated the role in the West End, where she picked up Olivier, Evening Standard and Joe Allen Best West End Debut nominations.

This is Warren’s second Tony nomination. She was also recognized in the Featured Actress In a Musical category for her performance as Gertrude Saunders/Florence Mills in the Broadway production of Shuffle Along opposite Audra McDonald. Additionally, Warren is a co-founder of the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, which empowers the community to actively participate in the fight for social change. She is repped by Gersh, Perennial Entertainment and Peikoff Mahan.

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