Bianca Lawson (Pretty Little Liars), Greg Vaughan (Days of Our Lives) and Henry G. Sanders (Selma) have joined the cast of OWN's new original drama series Queen Sugar, from Ava Duvernay and Warner Horizon Television.

Meanwhile, OWN said today that Oprah Winfrey — who earlier was announced as a recurring — will not have an onscreen role but will remain actively involved as an executive producer.

Henry G. Sanders
by Duvernay, the contemporary series is adapted from the first novel by Natalie Baszile. It chronicles the lives and loves of the estranged Bordelon siblings – Nova (Rutina Wesley), Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) and Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe) – who come together after a family tragedy to run an ailing sugar cane farm in the Deep South. The series will begin production this month in Louisiana and Los Angeles.

Lawson plays Darla, the ex-girlfriend of Ralph Angel and mother of their 6-year-old son Blue, whom she has been prevented from seeing as she battles drug addiction. Vaughan is Calvin, a cop and longtime lover of Nova, who shares a deep connection with her despite being married. Sanders, in a recurring role, plays Prosper Denton, a farmer and old friend of Ernest (guest star Glynn Turman).

The series is executive produced by Winfrey, DuVernay and Melissa Carter. DuVernay developed Queen Sugar for television, wrote its pilot episode and will direct multiple episodes of the show's first season.