ABC Greenlights Series About Emmett Till's Mother From Jay-Z, Will Smith

On 65th anniversary of Emmett Till’s murder, ABC announced its decision to move forward on a project spotlighting the legacy of Till’s mother, Mamie Elizabeth Till-Mobley.

According to reports from Deadline, the six-part series, titled, Women of the Movement, is going to tell the story of Mobley’s journey to becoming an educator and an activist as she sought justice for the racially-charged murder of her son. The project was written by Marissa Jo Cerar and produced by Jay-Z, Will Smith, and Aaron Kaplan.

“Today marks 65 years since the tragic murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till. This limited series will shine a light on the determined pursuit of justice by Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till Mobley,” the president of ABC Entertainment, Karey Burke, told Deadline. “Their story involves inconceivable heartbreak and brutality but also the enduring love of a mother and her son, galvanizing a movement that carved the path for today’s racial justice movement. We are honored to be bringing their story to ABC backed by an all-star producing team.”

The script was inspired by the book Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement by Devery S. Anderson and Gina Prince-Bythewood is set to direct the first episode. The writers room already began, remotely, back in April, with the goal of making Women of the Movement an anthology “chronicling the civil rights movement as told by the women behind it.”

“I am thrilled to bring this project to television. It is unfortunately very timely, and my hope is to give the audience a chance to learn who Emmett Till really was – the boy, rather than the victim or the martyr – while also showcasing Mamie’s astonishing strength in the face of a mother’s worst nightmare,” said Cerar. “Telling Emmett and Mamie’s story is a responsibility I have not taken lightly since I began this journey last year, because this is more than a tragedy; it’s a story about a mother’s unwavering love of her son and her commitment to bettering the lives of all Black people. I can’t wait to start filming. With the brilliant Gina Prince-Bythewood as our director, we could not be in better hands.”

The series is set to premiere sometime in 2021.