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Viola Davis to Play Harriet Tubman in New HBO Miniseries

By Sheila Sanders

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Viola Davis, star of ABC’s How to Get Away With Murder, will star as Harriet Tubman in a new miniseries headed to HBO, according to a report by Variety.

Finally, someone is going to take on one of the most influential people in the history of America, and that woman is Viola Davis. For those in need of a major history lesson or two, Harriet Tubman is one of the pioneers of the Underground Railroad, which was a network of paths and houses used for slaves escaping the South.

There have been few movies made about Tubman’s life, which is pretty surprising considering the Tubman’s significance in history.

The NY Post is reporting the miniseries is based on the book “Bound For the Promised Land,” which is basically the life story of Tubman and is written by Kate Clifford Larson.

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According to the Variety report, Davis is working with Doug Ellin, the executive producer of Entourage, Kirk Ellis, who is also writing the miniseries, and Amblin TV.

There’s no word from HBO on a release date yet. Variety is reporting the series is still in the “early stages of development,” and has yet to be given the green light to begin production.

Overall, I think this is a great move for a variety of reasons. First, I can’t think of a more compelling person to make a movie or TV series about. I mean, Hollywood is just recycling the same old ideas and stories. Why not go out on a limb and bring this story to life? It doesn’t make sense that someone hasn’t made this Harriet Tubman’s story an Oscar-winning film.

Hopefully, Davis, Ellin, and Ellis will be able to get this miniseries off the ground.

It’s a story that needs to be told.

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