Producer Lance Samuels Talks Madiba

The story of Nelson Mandela and his heroic journey to bring racial equality and democracy to the people of South Africa is told in the six-hour TV event Madiba, which debuts February 1 on BET in the U.S.

The project was produced by Blue Ice Pictures and Out of Africa Entertainment, in association with Left Bank Pictures and Cinema Gypsy Productions. Lance Samuels, the president of Blue Ice Pictures and founder of Out of Africa Entertainment, serves as executive producer on the miniseries, which is billed as the definitive telling of the late South African leader’s life.

“There have been a lot of Mandela stories made, most of them feature films or documentaries,” says Samuels. “I always felt that making a story on one of the greatest statesmen ever to live is so difficult to try to do in a 90-minute or two-hour movie. It’s never been approached from a miniseries point of view, where you’ve got six hours to really explore the true story of Nelson Mandela.”

Samuels says that the previous pieces made about Mandela were about parts of life, rather than the full, complete picture—which is why Madiba stands out. “What makes our show different from the other programs that have been made about Nelson Mandela in the past is that Nelson Mandela was the figurehead and obviously he was the leader, but there were so many other people who contributed to his success and the success of the liberation of South Africa,” he adds. “Because we had six hours, we were able to tell those stories as well. Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Joe Slovo—all of those people were in the inner circle and their stories have never been told. We were able to incorporate them into the miniseries, which was unique and exciting for us.”

He also says that it was important for Madiba to tell the other side of the story, that of the Afrikaner apartheid government. “Obviously they were evil and terrible people, but it’s important to understand what they believed and thought about, which helps you understand what the story of Nelson Mandela is. It was exciting to tell the story of the apartheid regime.”

Madiba stars Laurence Fishburne as Mandela, complemented by a cast that includes Orlando Jones and David Harewood. Samuels says that the producers had Fishburne in mind to take on the iconic role from the very beginning. “When he agreed and signed on it was the perfect fit for us. He’s an unbelievably fantastic actor, and we couldn’t think of anyone who could encapsulate the life of Nelson Mandela better than Laurence. He was amazing to work with and a true professional. I honestly believe that if Nelson Mandela were to watch the series, he’d be very proud of the performance that Laurence gave.”

Samuels says that BET is the perfect home for Madiba, as Blue Ice previously teamed up with the network to launch The Book of Negroes. “They were so supportive and interested from the very beginning,” he says. “With a commitment to do a long-form drama and increase their content level, we thought it was a good fit. After having a great experience on Book of Negroes, it made sense to do it with them.”

Being from South Africa himself, Samuels was passionate about telling Mandela’s story and about shooting the project on location in the country. “It was important for us to try to shoot in the actual places where a lot of the events took place,” he says. “It was amazing shooting in houses and locations where the historical events happened. That was very encouraging and an amazing experience. During the research process, we spoke to a number of people [in South Africa] who were involved in the story of Nelson Mandela,” which proved to be a valuable resource.

The books Conversations with Myself and Nelson Mandela by Himself, both authored by Mandela, served as the basis for the series. “These are amazing source materials in terms of research and understanding the thought process he went through during this period,” says Samuels. “That was a major asset to us in our research and development. The Nelson Mandela Foundation in South Africa was also extremely cooperative and resourceful. They helped the scriptwriters with their research.”

Dynamic Television holds the international rights for Madiba. “We can’t wait to show the series to the world,” says Samuels.