LOS ANGELES: Angela Bassett, Oprah Winfrey and Courtney B Vance are part of a star-studded cast for HBO's adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates' "Between the World and Me".
The HBO special will also feature "Black Lives Matter" founder Alicia Garza, Joe Morton, Phylicia Rashad, The Roots' Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter, Pauletta Washington, and Susan Kelechi Watson, a press release from the network said.
Kamilah Forbes is set to direct, with Coates and Watson executive producing, and Roger Ross Williams producing.
The book, which was published in 2015, is written in the style of a letter to Coates' teenage son, telling stories of his experiences growing up in Baltimore's inner city, his growing fear of daily violence against the Black community and his notion that the structure of American society supports white supremacy.
It was adapted and staged by the Apollo Theater in 2018. The HBO special will combine elements of the previous production, including powerful readings from Coates' book.
It will also incorporate documentary footage from the actors' home life, archival footage, and animation.
The special, which is currently in production, will debut later this year on HBO and will also be available to stream on HBO Max.