‘Underground’ Casts John Legend as Frederick Douglass

John Legend will be playing historical abolitionist Frederick Douglass in the upcoming season of WGN America’s UndergroundVariety reports. The singer is also the executive producer of the period drama show, which will premiere its second season in early 2017.

“We are in a moment now where we have a major candidate for office that is being very racist and divisive,” Legend said in reference to Donald Trump at Variety‘s TV Summit prior to the casting reveal. “I feel the need to call that out all the time because I don’t want us to feel like it’s impossible for our nation to go back to another dark place.”