Octavia Spencer To Play Haircare Mogul Madam Walker In New Series

Source: photo: WENN

Octavia Spencer is taking her talents back to television. She will star in a new series that details the real-life story of Sarah Breedlove aka Madam C.J. Walker.

Over the weekend Netflix announced a new series with Spencer about the famous Black hair care mogul. Professionally known as Madam C.J. Walker, the entrepreneur became the first female millionaire in the United States with a successful portfolio of beauty and hair products specifically made for women of color.

Based on the book On Her Own Ground by A’Lelia Bundles, Walker’s great granddaughter, the show is set to run for eight episodes and will be a drama. According to Netflix this will be a limited series that will focus her tumultuous upbringing as a daughter of slaves to washerwomen to building a beauty empire. Both Spencer and LeBron James will serve as Executive Producers along with his business partner Maverick Carter who heads their SpringHill production company.

“It’s so exciting for all of us to keep building SpringHill, see it mature, and continue to find its voice. We are really focused on growing with authenticity and substance,” Carter said in a statement. “For us, this is totally about great stories and great partners. Partnering with Octavia to tell the story of Madam C.J. Walker is the ideal first project for SpringHill to take an important step into scripted drama.”

Kasi Lemmons of “Black Nativity” fame is set to direct the pilot. A release date for Madam C.J. Walker has yet to be confirmed.

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