Alfre Woodard to Star as Civil Rights Activist Fannie Lou Hamer in Limited Series for ABC Studios (EXCLUSIVE)

Alfre Woodard will star as civil rights and voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer in a forthcoming limited series for ABC Studios, Variety has learned exclusively.

Woodard is executive producing along with Carl Beverly, Sarah Timbermann, Roderick Spencer and Harry Belafonte, while Gina Belafonte serves as a producer.

Hamer rose from sharecropping in the Mississippi Delta to become a driving force in the voting rights movement, a prominent voice for civil rights and women’s rights and a leader in the push for economic opportunity for African Americans. She was the co-founder and vice-chair of the Freedom Democratic Party and organized Mississippi’s Freedom Summer in 1964 along with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. She continued her civil rights work until she died in 1977, and she was posthumously inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993.

Woodard and Spencer teamed up in 2019 to produce the Netflix film “Juanita,” written by Spencer and starring Woodard. She also headlined Neon’s prison drama “Clemency,” stars opposite Jason Momoa in Apple TV Plus’ “See” and will next appear alongside Kevin Hart in Sony Pictures’ “Fatherhood.”

Woodard has been nominated for 17 Emmy awards and won four for “L.A. Law,” “Miss Evers’ Boys,” “The Practice” and “Hill Street Blues.” She received an Oscar nomination in the best supporting actress category for “Cross Creek.” She is also a longtime social activist and is the co-founder of Artists for a New South Africa, which is working to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS and further the cause of democracy and human rights in South Africa. In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed her to the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

Beverly and Timberman’s credits include “Justified,” “Unbelievable,” “Elementary,” “Masters of Sex,” “Seal Team” and “Unforgettable.” Woodard is represented at ICM Partners, Circle of Confusion and Gochman Law.

More from Variety

• Serbia's 'Bad Blood' Becomes First Sarajevo CineLink Drama Project to Start Production

• Kerry Washington Extends ABC Studios Overall Deal

• 'Grown-ish' Star Yara Shahidi Signs Overall Deal With ABC Studios

Best of Variety

• The Best Amazon Prime Movies to Watch Right Now

• The Best Comedies on Netflix to Watch Right Now

• Everything Coming to Netflix in November

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.