TV Article Laurence Fishburne to portray Nelson Mandela in Madiba miniseries on BET By Danielle Zhu Published on October 2, 2015 05:26PM EDT Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage Laurence Fishburne is set to portray Nelson Mandela in Madiba, a new BET miniseries, EW has confirmed. Mandela’s grandson Kweku Mandela will serve as executive producer and Kevin Hooks (Prison Break) will direct, as first reported by Deadline. The six-hour miniseries of the South African leader is based on his memoir Conversations With Myself and Nelson Mandela by Himself, a book of quotations. Madiba, named after Mandela’s clan name, will focus on his life during the early ‘60s as he dealt with the political unrest during apartheid in South Africa. Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years for his anti-apartheid efforts. After his release, he became the first black president of South Africa and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. He died in 2013 at the age of 95. Mandela has previously been portrayed by Danny Glover, Sidney Poitier, Morgan Freeman, Terrence Howard, and most recently, Idris Elba in the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. WANT MORE EW? Subscribe now to keep up with the latest in movies, television and music. Fishburne currently has a recurring role in the ABC sitcom Black-ish and will appear in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016. Madiba will begin production in South Africa early next year.