History and A&E will premiere new miniseries Roots over four consecutive nights at 9 p.m., starting Monday, May 30 — Memorial Day.

The eight-hour event series is a historical portrait of American slavery recounting the journey of one family and their will to survive and ultimately carry on their legacy despite hardship.

Roots is a reboot of the 1977 miniseries of the same name, based on the 1976 novel by Alex Haley. The book tells the story of one man’s family over the course of 100 years — from being raised in Africa, to being sold into slavery and overcoming challenges.

The series won nine Emmy Awards and sparked a national conversation about race relations. The remake aims to speak to a new generation.

Roots will allow new audiences to experience this epic family saga with a new vision that is both inspiring and tremendously entertaining,” said Paul Buccieri, president of A&E and History. “We are proud that History will be able to bring new life to this powerful story that remains as important today as it did when the original Roots first premiered.”

The remake is an A&E Studios production in association with Marc Toberoff and the Wolper Organization, which produced the original Roots series.

Mark Wolper executive produced the project, following in the footsteps of his father David L. Wolper, who executive produced the original miniseries. He told The Hollywood Reporter that he decided to do a remake after showing the 1977 version to his son, who said he didn’t feel like it spoke to him.

“It was in that moment that I realized why we need to do Roots again, why I have to get over that fear of that triple whammy and try to tell this story again for a whole new generation,” Wolper said.

Wolper, Toberoff, Will Packer, Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal and Barry Jossen serve as executive producers. Korin D. Huggins and LeVar Burton are co-executive producers.

“Nearly 40 years ago I had the privilege to be a part of an epic television event that started an important conversation in America,” Burton said in a statement. “I am incredibly proud to be a part of this new retelling and start the dialogue again, at a time when it is needed more than ever.”

The cast features Forest Whitaker (Fiddler), Anna Paquin (Nancy Holt), Laurence Fishburne (Alex Haley), Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Tom Lea), Anika Noni Rose (Kizzy), Tip “T.I.” Harris (Cyrus), Chad L. Coleman (Mingo), Emayatzy Corinealdi (Belle), Matthew Goode (Dr. William Waller), Derek Luke (Silla Ba Dibba), Mekhi Phifer (Jerusalem), James Purefoy (John Waller), Erica Tazel (Matilda), Regé-Jean Page (Chicken George) and Malachi Kirby (Kunta Kinte).

READ MORE: The Hollywood Reporter

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