Anthony Anderson Frontrunner To Star And EP Al Sharpton Series

There’s an Al Sharpton limited series in the works that has a strong likelihood of starring and being executive-produced by Anthony Anderson.

Based on the Esquire profile of the famed civil rights activist, “The Redemption of Al Sharpton” has been acquired by ABC Signature to be developed as a limited series, Deadline reports. Pulitzer Prize winner Mitchell S. Jackson, who penned the profile, will receive a producer credit, alongside Evi Regev from Anderson’s Just A Kid From Compton production company who will executive produce with Artists First’s E. Brian Dobbins.

The profile followed Sharpton to find out “why he keeps going, what he’s still doing, and where his place in history will be.” After decades of controversy and criticism surrounding his work, the profile attempts to redeem Sharpton as “a beacon of the civil rights movement” and as “a loudmouth in a tracksuit, surrounded by controversy and shady friends.”

Activist, politician, and minister who founded the National Action Network (NAN) in 1991, Sharpton has been a forward-facing figurehead within the Black community since the 1990s. His controversial protests on civil rights issues helped him receive nationwide attention from the media and government.

When launching NAN, Sharpton used it to promote progressive reform for Black Americans including affirmative action and reparations for descendants of the formerly enslaved. During his career, Sharpton has endured several unsuccessful attempts at election including the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City and U.S. Senator from New York state in the 1990s and the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidency in 2004.

Anthony starred and executive produced ABC’s “black-ish” which garnered him 11 Emmy nominations. His most recent onscreen work includes reprising his role as Detective Kevin Barnard on the 21st season of “Law and Order.” Portraying Al Sharpton in a limited series would highlight Anderson’s range as an actor and skillset as an EP.

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