Oprah to Star in a New TV Show on OWN - Closer Weekly

Big news for Oprah!

The 61-year-old star will reportedly return to acting in an upcoming TV show created for her cable network, The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), the channel announced on Monday, Feb. 2.

Oprah will both executive produce and star in a recurring role on ‘Queen Sugar,’ which will be adapted from a novel of the same name by author Natalie Baszile. The series will chronicle a spirited woman who leaves her upscale LA lifestyle behind to inherit an 800-acre Louisiana sugar cane farm.

Oprah in ‘Selma.’

“I loved this book and immediately saw it as a series for OWN,” she said in a new interview. “The story’s themes of reinventing your life, parenting alone, family connections and conflicts, and building new relationships are what I believe will connect our viewers to this show.”

For the new project, Oprah will again work with Ava DuVerny, the director of the Oscar-nominated historical drama ‘Selma,’ which the mogul produced and appeared in in a supporting role. This will be DuVerny’s first foray into television work and the former talk show host’s first acting gig on her network.

Oprah at the Academy Awards Nominee Luncheon on Feb. 2.

“From the moment I was introduced to the book, I was captivated by the idea of a modern woman wrestling with identity, family, culture and the echoes of history. To bring this kind of storytelling to life alongside Oprah for her network is wildly wonderful. I’m excited about what’s in store,” DuVerny told ‘Variety.’

Production on the new show is scheduled to begin later this year.