JAY-Z HAS teamed up with Will Smith on a new television series which will follow the story of four women prominent during the civil rights movement in the US.
The show, entitled Women Of The Movement, is inspired by Devery S. Anderson’s book Emmitt Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement, and will feature eight episiodes which will tell the harrowing story of Till through his mother Mamie Till's point of view.
The rapper and actor will be executive producers of the series, which will be written by Marissa Jo Cerar of The Handmaid’s Tale.
The upcoming show, expected to run on ABC, comes five years after Roc Nation, Overbrook and Kapital first set up plans to develop an Emmett Till miniseries .
An Emmett Till biopic was also in the works with Taraji P. Henson set to play Mamie Till-Mobley, but with director John Singleton's death earlier this year, the production has been halted.
Many fans took to social media to celebrate the news of the show. One social media user tweeted:
“Salute to Will Smith and JAY-Z for deciding to create this series. Women like Emmett Till’s mom and others who made impacts in the civil rights movement deserve to be recognised”
Another tweeted “Yo, Jay Z and Will Smith literally two of my favourites. This is so dope! I can’t wait to see it come to life
#JayZ #WillSmith".