Story highlights The A&E networks are remaking the blockbuster "Roots" miniseries, to air in 2016

The epic 1977 miniseries about an African-American slave had 100 million viewers

(CNN) One of the biggest TV events of all time is being reimagined for new audiences.

"Roots," the epic miniseries about an African-American slave and his descendants, had a staggering audience of over 100 million viewers back in 1977. Now A&E networks are remaking the miniseries, to air in 2016.

A&E, Lifetime and History (formerly the History Channel) announced Thursday that the three networks would simulcast a remake of the saga of Kunta Kinte, an African who was captured, shipped to America and sold into slavery to work on a Virginia plantation.

LeVar Burton, who portrayed Kinte in the original, will co-executive produce the new miniseries.

A press release describes the new version as "original" and "contemporary" and will draw more from Alex Haley's classic novel, "Roots: The Saga of an American Family." Producers will consult scholars in African and African-American history for added authenticity.

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