According to his grandson, Kweku Mandela, who is co-producing the series, it seeks to portray "Mandela the man" instead of "Mandela the saint."
Ttitled "Madiba", Mandela's clan name, the series "will take a broad view of the inner passions and outside forces that guided him," they said in a statement.
With a budget of $30 million the project will explore the 93 year old's relationship with his mother, his political activism, imprisonment, rise as political leader and election as South Africa's first black president.
The screenplay will be based on two Mandela books — his autobiographical "Conversations with Myself" and a book of authorised quotations, "Nelson Mandela by Himself".
Producers involved in the project include Left Bank Pictures' Andy Harries and Marigo Kehoe, famed for the Oscar-winning film "The Queen", which also starred Mirren.