Gay Rights Drama 'When We Rise' Adds Michael K. Williams, Ivory Aquino To Cast

Michael K. Williams and Ivory Aquino have joined the cast of ABC's upcoming miniseries about the gay rights movement.

The eight-hour miniseries, titled When We Rise, has been in development at ABC for more than two years.

According to Deadline Hollywood, Williams (Boardwalk Empire, The Wire) will play activist Ken Jones, while Aquino has been cast to play Cecilia Chung, a leading transgender rights activist.

The series also includes Rachel Griffiths, Mary-Louise Parker, Carrie Preston and Guy Pearce.

In addition, Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O'Donnell, Denis O'Hare and David Hyde Pierce guest star.

The project reunites the team behind the 2008 film Milk: Director Gus Van Sant, writer Dustin Lance Black and producer Bruce Cohen. Milk's subject was Harvey Milk, an LGBT rights activist and politician who was gunned down inside San Francisco City Hall. Van Sant is set to direct the first two-hour episode of When We Rise and will co-produce the series with Black, Cohen and Laurence Mark.