Oprah & Alan Ball

<span style="font-size:120%;">NEW YORK -- Oprah Winfrey is joining with Alan Ball to produce an HBO film based on the nonfiction bestseller "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks."

The network said Wednesday that Ball, creator and executive producer of HBO's drama series "True Blood," will develop the project with Winfrey and her Harpo Films studio.

Written by Rebecca Skloot, "The Immortal Life" tells the true story of Henrietta Lacks, a poor black woman who died of cervical cancer in 1951. Without her consent, pieces of the tumor that killed her were removed and used for medical exploration and to build a billion-dollar research industry.

No production schedule or air date for the film was announced.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i056525c4efa8dd6f8f3844e9066528ef</span>