Written by George C. Wolfe Country of origin United States | Directed by George C. Wolfe Original language(s) English | |
Based on The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot Starring Oprah Winfrey
Rose Byrne
Renée Elise Goldsberry
Courtney B. Vance
Reg E. Cathey
Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Leslie Uggams | ||
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is an upcoming drama television film directed by George C. Wolfe and starring Oprah Winfrey. It is based on the book of the same name by Rebecca Skloot and documents the story of Henrietta Lacks, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in the 1950s, and whose cancer cells (later known as HeLa) would change the course of cancer treatment. The film will be broadcast on HBO on April 22, 2017.
Contents
Cast
Production
The film was announced on May 2, 2016. George C. Wolfe will write and direct the film, with Oprah Winfrey producing the film as well as starring as Lacks' daughter Deborah. In July, Rose Byrne was cast as Rebecca Skloot, the author of the book about Henrietta, who befriends Deborah while reporting on her mother's life, and Renée Elise Goldsberry was cast as the titular Henrietta Lacks. The core supporting cast was rounded out in August 2016, with Courtney B. Vance, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Reg E. Cathey and Leslie Uggams amongst them. As of September 21, 2016, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks has begun filming in Baltimore, after several weeks of shooting in Atlanta.