It was with great fanfare that The History Channel announced earlier this year that it’s remaking Roots, the groundbreaking TV miniseries based on Alex Haley’s novel of the same name. This iteration will use elements of Haley’s novel, but it will also incorporate new scholarship published since the original’s release, hopefully giving even greater texture and depth to the material. Now, it appears History has found someone with the gravitas to successfully embody Haley himself: Laurence Fishburne has been cast as the famous author and scholar. “Sorry, other jobs,” the actor can now say, rejecting the hypothetical sequels to Biker Boyz and Fled. “History calls.”