Gerry South books a roll on ABC Miniseries, “When We Rise“.
ABC is reassembling the team of the 2008 movie Milk for another project about the gay rights movement, eight-hour miniseries When We Rise. Milk director Gus Van Sant has joined the mini, written/executive produced by Milk writer Dustin Lance Black and executive produced by the film’s producer Bruce Cohen. The project, which had been in development at ABC for more than two years, has now been officially greenlighted for production with Van Sant directing the first two-hour episode. He will executive produce the mini alongside Black, Cohen and Laurence Mark.
“When We Rise”chronicles the personal and political struggles, set-backs and triumphs of a diverse family of LGBT men and women who helped pioneer one of the last legs of the U.S. Civil Rights movement from its turbulent infancy in the 20th century to the once unfathomable successes of today. The period piece tells the history of the gay rights movement, starting with the Stonewall Riots in 1969.
The miniseries is an important passion project for Black, who was raised in a Mormon house in Texas. Since breaking out in Hollywood, the writer/producer has worked tirelessly for marriage equality and gay rights, and spoke of the matter, while delivering his acceptance speech at the 2009 Academy Awards.
Aside from “Milk,” which starred Sean Penn as the title character, Black’s other credits include Leonardo DiCaprio’s 2011 film “J. Edgar” and HBO’s “Big Love”. Most recently, Van Sant directed Matthew McConaughey’s “The Sea of Trees,” and most famously was at the helm of “Good Will Hunting”. On the TV side, Van Sant was an exec producer on Kelsey Grammer’s Starz series “Boss”.
Michael K. Williams (Boardwalk Empire, The Wire) and Ivory Aquino have joined the cast of ABC’s eight-hour miniseries about the gay rights movement. In addition, Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O’Donnell, Denis O’Hare and David Hyde Pierce are set as guest stars in the seven-part series. Production is currently underway in Vancouver and San Francisco with an air date TBD.
Williams will play African American Community Organizer Ken Jones. Aquino is transgender activist Cecilia Chung. Goldberg is Pat Norman, the first openly gay employee of the San Francisco Health Department, O’Donnell plays Del Martin, co-founder of the first Lesbian organization in the country, O’Hare is Jim Foster, openly gay Democratic party organizer, and Pierce will play Dr. Jones, Cleve’s father.
Rachel Griffiths, Mary-Louise Parker, and Guy Pearce also star.