“Roots” Remake Casting Call for Featured Extras in NOLA

“Roots” is getting a remake. The mini-series is now filming in NOLA and has a casting call out for extras who would love to participate in the project.

Almost 40 years after the original ABC mini-series aired, the story will be told again in a new mini-series project. “Roots”  is now in production in New Orleans and will air on History, A&E Network and Lifetime sometime next year, 2016. The mini-series is currently casting talent to fill some featured roles, see below.

The “Roots”  mini-series will be produced by LeVar Burton, who played Kunta Kinte in the 1977 original. Also serving as producers are  Will Packer and Mark Wolper, the son David L. Woper who produced the 1977 original.

“Roots”  is based on the classic novel “Roots: The Saga of an American Family”  written by Alex Haley. “Roots”  follows  Kunte Kinte, a young man who after being captured in Africa found himself enslaved  in colonial America. The original mini-series was a huge hit for ABC and consisted of 8 episodes which aired consecutively. According to Variety, the remake will be incorporating new information that has been uncovered since the original mini-series aired. The network will be working closely with historians to incorporate the new historical data into the production. The network’s press release described the remake as “original” and “contemporary”.  The network also commented that the project will draw more from Alex Haley’s classic novel. Dirk Hoogstra, History’s executive vice president and general manager  stated “We are proud to bring this saga to fans of the original, as well as to a new generation that will experience this powerful and poignant tale for the first time.”

“Kunta Kinte began telling his story over 200 years ago, and that story went through his family lineage, to Alex Haley, to my father, and now the mantle rests with me,…. Like Kunta Kinte fought to tell his story over and over again, so must we.” – Mark Wolper

Interested in working as an extra on “Roots”? Here is the casting notice:

Upcoming Casting Needs for ROOTS, the miniseries

NOW CASTING FOR ROOTS, featured position.
(EXTREMELY THIN MALES) – SMALL POX INFECTED SLAVES (2)
DATE: Nov 5th and 6th (Must be open both days)
FILMING LOCATION: NEW ORLEANS
FITTING PRIOR IN NEW ORLEANS
We are booking 2 African American(dark skin tone)

MALES EXTREMELY THIN!
over 18 –
that will be featured

NATURAL HAIR ONLY** Must be okay with being clean shaven men. No dreadlocks/extensions. Looking for a male and female that are very dark skin for this. You must be okay wearing fake contact lenses and having makeup put FAKE SMALL POX on you.
DO NOT SUBMIT if you have already been FEATURED on this show.
Email: rootsextrascasting@gmail.com
Subject Line: SMALL POX
Include: Name, Age, Contact #, Height/Weight, City/state of residency, and list if you have braces/gold teeth or tattoos and locations.

Include proper photos (full length and shoulders up) see sample.

No selfies will be submitted.
No mirror pics will be submitted.
Do not smile in photos.
Do not wear sunglasses/glasses or hat.
Stand in front of a solid wall.
Have someone take pictures of you with smart phone.
Keep hands by side, try to look sad. You suffer from small pox in the scene, so no happy faces please.
Wear hair down and NATURAL*
Do not wear costumes in photos or business clothes.
Wear bland clothes, a neutral colored top and jeans is best.