The Oscar-winning director's follow-up to his Small Axe series will air on BBC One later this year.
McQueen said Uprising would be made using "testimonials from the survivors, investigators, activists and representatives of the machinery of state".
Charlotte Moore, the BBC's chief content officer, said the "important and evocative" series would look at events "that have defined race relations in Britain today". The tragedy prompted an outpouring of grief from Britain's Afro-Caribbean communities and led to a huge march in London a few weeks later on 2 March.
Some 300 police officers and 65 members of the public were injured in three days of unrest that caused £7.5m worth of damage.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more: