Blackbird: Lena Horne and America
Showtime is developing “Blackbird: Lena Horne and America,” a limited series about entertainment icon and activist Lena Horne. Jenny Lumet, Horne’s granddaughter, will co-write the first few episodes of the series with Alex Kurtzman with both also executive producing.
The series will span six decades of Horne’s life, from dancing at the Cotton Club as a teen through stardom in the MGM years, McCarthyism, the civil rights movement, and a triumphant return to Broadway. Luminaries like Paul Robeson, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Joe Louis, Billie Holiday, Hattie McDaniel, Ava Gardner, and Orson Welles also appear. [Source: Variety]
Tether
Actor-producer Daniel Dae Kim is teaming with Amazon and filmmakers Kevin Hamedani and Travis Betz to develop the genre-bending ghost story “Tether” into a series. Hamedani and Betz are set to pen the script and will serve as showrunners, while Kim executive produces.
The story follows Madelyn Woods, a woman driven to find her kidnapped husband and son and extract revenge on those who hurt them … and murdered her. Now a ghost, and tethered to the house she died in, Madelyn must find a way to escape her supernatural prison and save the ones she loves. [Source: THR]
Chinos
HBO Max has committed to a put pilot for “Chinos,” an original animated series created by Eddie Huang who will executve produce alongside Raf Martinez, Bernard Chang and acclaimed tattoo artist Dr. Woo. The story will explore the subcultures in Los Angeles through the Asian American experience while flipping the ‘model minority’ notion on its head. [Source: Deadline]
Jungle Prince of Delhi
Amazon has snagged the rights to develop Ellen Barry’s 2020 Pulitzer Prize finalist New York Times story and podcast “The Jungle Prince of Delhi” into a drama series. The story delved into the history of the royal family of Oudh, deposed aristocrats living in a ruined palace in the Indian capital claiming to be the heirs to a fallen kingdom. Mira Nair is attached to direct the project and will also executive produce. [Source: Variety]
Woke
Hulu has premiered the trailer for “Woke,” an eight episodes comedy starring Lamorne Morris that will premiere on September 9th.
Morris plays Keef, an African-American cartoonist on the verge of mainstream success. When an incident in the police changes everything, Keef must navigate the new voices and ideas that confront and challenge him without losing everything he’s already built.
