Kenny Leon to Direct Lifetime TV Remake of Steel Magnolias, Featuring African-American Cast

Tony nominee Kenny Leon will direct a film remake of Robert Harling's Steel Magnolias for the Lifetime network, according to Deadline.com. The film will be set in present-day Louisiana and feature an all African-American cast in the leading roles. No casting has been announced at this time.

Steel Magnolias follows the lives of a close-knit group of friends at a Louisiana beauty parlor. The play first opened at off-Broadway's Lucille Lortel Theatre on June 19, 1987, where it ran for 1,126 performances before closing on February 25, 1990. A 1989 film adaptation starred Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton, Sally Field, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and earned an Oscar nomination for Julia Roberts. The show made its Broadway debut with a 2005 revival starring Delta Burke, Christine Ebersole, Lily Rabe and Rebecca Gayheart.

Leon is currently represented on Broadway by The Mountaintop and will also direct the upcoming Broadway production of Stick Fly. He earned a Tony Award nomination for directing the 2010 revival of Fences. His other Broadway credits include Radio Golf, Gem of the Ocean and the 2004 revival of A Raisin in the Sun, which he adapted for TV.