If television is a collaboration, stand by for what is perhaps the most mind-blowingly exciting team roster in recent years. Director Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave) and writer Matthew Michael Carnahan (The Kingdom, State Of Play, World War Z) have co-written a pilot that has been snapped up by HBO.
But that’s not all. Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons – who recently launched his production company RSTV, and inked a first-look deal with HBO – is on board as Executive Producer, along with Academy Award winning producers Iain Canning and Emile Sherman (The King’s Speech). Canning and Sherman have a long collaborative relationship with Steve McQueen – with Canning having produced his feature debut, Hunger (2008), and both having executive produced Shame (2011).
The as-yet unnamed pilot, which is to be directed by McQueen, will see a young African-American man enter New York’s high society, though his past “may not be what it seems.” While filming has yet to begin, the project has been ‘fast-tracked’, with the casting process well under way, and it is hoped that the pilot will be filmed before the highly-regarded director commences pre-production on his next feature.
With Steve McQueen riding the crest of a wave of critical appreciation for his latest film, 12 Years A Slave, and Matthew Michael Carnahan working wonders with World War Z, any project borne of this pairing is a very hot prospect indeed. Add HBO into that mix, with their reputation for game-changing, ground-breaking programming, and this show is instantly one to watch for.
