There’s a Roots remake on the horizon and the cast is made up of a rapper (T.I.), a couple of British Black actors (Rege-Jean Page & Malachi Kirby), and Mekhi Phifer!

Wait, why is there a Roots remake? Was the first one not good enough?

Well, A&E is already in production with the 4-part series based on Alex Haley’s book about his family’s journey from enslavement to freedom in America. This new iteration promises to be as good as 12 Years a Slave if you ignore the fact that there’s a rapper in it and just focus on the Black Brits playing Kunta Kinte and Chicken George, because we all know they bring home the award nominations (ahem, 12 Years a Slave).

Mario Van Peebles, Phillip Noyce, Thomas Carter and Bruce Beresford are the directors for the series and Questlove is the executive music producer.