The New York Post is reporting that Oprah Winfrey was in "serious discussions" last year to star in the upcoming Broadway revival of August Wilson's "Fences" – that is until Wilson's widow Constanza Romero decided to go in a different direction.      

As previously reported, the revival is a go with playwright/director Suzan Lori-Parks and producer Carole Shorenstein Hays, the San Francisco real estate heiress and the original producer of "Fences" in 1987. But in the early planning stages, director Kenny Leon and producer David Binder - the team behind the 2004 hit "A Raisin in the Sun" starring Sean Combs – were pitching Romero a "Fences" revival that would star Forrest Whitaker and Winfrey in the lead roles of angry former baseball player/ex-convict Troy, and his long-suffering wife, Rose.        

According to the Post, the "Fences" revival has been in development for years, and Winfrey had been repeatedly lobbying Wilson, who died in 2005. Romero, now in charge of her late husband's affairs, ultimately decided to hand the production over to Hays. 

"It was a question of loyalty," says a source. "Carole was August's first producer. She supported all his plays, even the ones that weren't successful."       

Binder and Leon were reportedly stunned to hear of Romero's decision. They had, after all, met with Wilson several times before he died to outline plans for their production. Wilson was especially impressed that they'd been able to lure predominantly black audiences to "A Raisin in the Sun."       

But as they say, the show must go on. The Post also reports that Laurence Fishburne, Mos Def and Anthony Mackie are being sought to star in the "Fences" revival.