Exclusive: Anonymous Content is elevating longtime literary managers and producers Ryan Cunningham, David Kanter and Nicole Romano to partner.
Cunningham joined Anonymous Content in 2019 from Madhouse Entertainment where he had been a manager and producer for a decade. On the management side, his clients include filmmakers Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (65), Derek Tsang (The Three Body Problem), Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei (How to Blow Up a Pipeline); showrunners and writers Steven DeKnight (Spartacus), Jewel Coronel (The Chi), Seamus Fahey (Walker: Independence) and Sonya Winton & Jonathan Kidd (Lovecraft Country), Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts), Neil Uliano and Bryan Schulz (The Peanuts Movie), and Ben Queen (The Addams Family 2). Cunningham most recently produced the Sky/Relativity feature The Independent, and executive-produced Stephen King adaptation The Boogeyman, which will be released in June by 20th Century Studios and Disney.
Kanter is a producer and manager at Anonymous...
Cunningham joined Anonymous Content in 2019 from Madhouse Entertainment where he had been a manager and producer for a decade. On the management side, his clients include filmmakers Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (65), Derek Tsang (The Three Body Problem), Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei (How to Blow Up a Pipeline); showrunners and writers Steven DeKnight (Spartacus), Jewel Coronel (The Chi), Seamus Fahey (Walker: Independence) and Sonya Winton & Jonathan Kidd (Lovecraft Country), Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts), Neil Uliano and Bryan Schulz (The Peanuts Movie), and Ben Queen (The Addams Family 2). Cunningham most recently produced the Sky/Relativity feature The Independent, and executive-produced Stephen King adaptation The Boogeyman, which will be released in June by 20th Century Studios and Disney.
Kanter is a producer and manager at Anonymous...
- 4/12/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Warner Bros Discovery has performed a quick U-turn on its decision to close its Writers and Directors Workshops.
On Tuesday, the company revealed that the two initiatives, which have been lauded for their inclusion of diverse voices into the television industry, were being shuttered at Warner Bros. Television, where they have resided, as part of a massive slew of cuts.
Related Story Warner Bros TV Layoffs: Studio Cuts 26 Of Workforce, Unscripted & Animation Divisions Merge Functions Related Story Former Osn, Warner Bros Discovery Execs Launch Mena-Focused Rise Studios, Talk Multi-Format, Premium Strategy Related Story Warner Bros. Discovery Layoffs: Streaming Marketing Latest Division To Be Hit
Today, the company said that the workshops will now be housed within Wbd’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion unit, in partnership with Wbtv. They will now be led by Warner Bros. Discovery Dei Vice President Grace Moss and overseen by recently elevated Warner Bros. Discovery Dei U.
On Tuesday, the company revealed that the two initiatives, which have been lauded for their inclusion of diverse voices into the television industry, were being shuttered at Warner Bros. Television, where they have resided, as part of a massive slew of cuts.
Related Story Warner Bros TV Layoffs: Studio Cuts 26 Of Workforce, Unscripted & Animation Divisions Merge Functions Related Story Former Osn, Warner Bros Discovery Execs Launch Mena-Focused Rise Studios, Talk Multi-Format, Premium Strategy Related Story Warner Bros. Discovery Layoffs: Streaming Marketing Latest Division To Be Hit
Today, the company said that the workshops will now be housed within Wbd’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion unit, in partnership with Wbtv. They will now be led by Warner Bros. Discovery Dei Vice President Grace Moss and overseen by recently elevated Warner Bros. Discovery Dei U.
- 10/12/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Following more steep layoffs and the shuttering of a program for emerging writers at Warner Bros. Discovery, Texas Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro sharply criticized leadership at the Hollywood studio, which he called “outright hostile” to new talent, particularly “creators of color.”
Since the merger that created it, Warner Bros. Discovery, Castro said, “seems to go out of it’s way to make the company less inclusive,” and has “imposed a double standard within the company.” He also suggested that political, rather than financial, concerns have motivated recent decisions, evidence that there is “a double standard within the company.”
“So far the new @wbd has been outright hostile to content creators, creators of color, new voices trying to break into the industry, etc. The new Wbd seems to go out of it’s way to make the company less inclusive while getting rich off the communities they’re sidelining,” Castro said...
Since the merger that created it, Warner Bros. Discovery, Castro said, “seems to go out of it’s way to make the company less inclusive,” and has “imposed a double standard within the company.” He also suggested that political, rather than financial, concerns have motivated recent decisions, evidence that there is “a double standard within the company.”
“So far the new @wbd has been outright hostile to content creators, creators of color, new voices trying to break into the industry, etc. The new Wbd seems to go out of it’s way to make the company less inclusive while getting rich off the communities they’re sidelining,” Castro said...
- 10/12/2022
- by Ross A. Lincoln
- The Wrap
Warner Bros. Discovery is shutting down its Television Workshop for up-and-coming writers and directors, as well as its digital shortform programming division, Stage 13, TheWrap has confirmed. The news comes amid further layoffs that are expected to hit the newly merged conglomerate.
Stage 13 was established in 2017, while the writers workshop has been around for four decades, with the 2022-23 season being the last. Both of these ventures are planned to be folded into development and current programming. While neither program was founded with the initiative of specifically supporting talent from underrepresented backgrounds, both eventually became a pipeline through which rising and diverse talent could break into the industry.
As part of the Warner Bros. Television Group and formed under the previous Warner Bros. Digital Networks, Stage 13 was an award-winning studio and production company “dedicated to amplifying intersectional stories and championing creators from underrepresented communities,” according to its site. Since its launch,...
Stage 13 was established in 2017, while the writers workshop has been around for four decades, with the 2022-23 season being the last. Both of these ventures are planned to be folded into development and current programming. While neither program was founded with the initiative of specifically supporting talent from underrepresented backgrounds, both eventually became a pipeline through which rising and diverse talent could break into the industry.
As part of the Warner Bros. Television Group and formed under the previous Warner Bros. Digital Networks, Stage 13 was an award-winning studio and production company “dedicated to amplifying intersectional stories and championing creators from underrepresented communities,” according to its site. Since its launch,...
- 10/11/2022
- by Natalie Oganesyan
- The Wrap
Layoffs are underway at Warner Bros Television Group on Tuesday. The cuts include the closing of digital short-form programming division Stage 13 and the famous Warner Bros Television Workshop, which has been around for more than 40 years.
It comes after Deadline revealed yesterday that there would be staff and other reductions across the studio today.
Related Story Warner Bros. TV Layoffs: Studio Cuts 26 Of Workforce, Unscripted & Animation Divisions Merge Functions Related Story Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav On Rumored Merger Talks: "We Are Not For Sale" Related Story Warner Bros. Discovery Names France, Benelux & Africa Management Team, Long-Serving Sales Exec Caroline Lang To Exit
Stage 13, founded in 2017 under the former Warner Bros Digital Networks division as a studio for original digital short-form programming, has produced past series such as Special and It’s Bruno! for Netflix, Two Sentence Horror Stories for the CW/Netflix, and more. The division was run by Diana Mogollon,...
It comes after Deadline revealed yesterday that there would be staff and other reductions across the studio today.
Related Story Warner Bros. TV Layoffs: Studio Cuts 26 Of Workforce, Unscripted & Animation Divisions Merge Functions Related Story Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav On Rumored Merger Talks: "We Are Not For Sale" Related Story Warner Bros. Discovery Names France, Benelux & Africa Management Team, Long-Serving Sales Exec Caroline Lang To Exit
Stage 13, founded in 2017 under the former Warner Bros Digital Networks division as a studio for original digital short-form programming, has produced past series such as Special and It’s Bruno! for Netflix, Two Sentence Horror Stories for the CW/Netflix, and more. The division was run by Diana Mogollon,...
- 10/11/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva and Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Octavia Butler’s novel Fledgling is getting a television adaptation at HBO.
The WarnerMedia premium network has ordered a pilot script for the project from Lovecraft Country writers and co-EPs Sonya Winton-Odamtten and Jonathan I. Kidd.
The pair, who re-upped their overall deal with HBO in December, are writing the adaptation with Issa Rae and J.J. Abrams among the exec producers.
Fledgling is a sci-fi vampire novel that Butler, the first sci-fi writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, published via Grand Central Publishing in 2005, a year before her death.
It is the story of an apparently amnesiac young girl whose alarmingly inhuman needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: She is in fact a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire. Forced to discover what she can about her stolen former life, she must at the same time learn who wanted — and still wants — to destroy her and those she...
The WarnerMedia premium network has ordered a pilot script for the project from Lovecraft Country writers and co-EPs Sonya Winton-Odamtten and Jonathan I. Kidd.
The pair, who re-upped their overall deal with HBO in December, are writing the adaptation with Issa Rae and J.J. Abrams among the exec producers.
Fledgling is a sci-fi vampire novel that Butler, the first sci-fi writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, published via Grand Central Publishing in 2005, a year before her death.
It is the story of an apparently amnesiac young girl whose alarmingly inhuman needs and abilities lead her to a startling conclusion: She is in fact a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire. Forced to discover what she can about her stolen former life, she must at the same time learn who wanted — and still wants — to destroy her and those she...
- 7/28/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America Awards were handed during a virtual ceremony on Sunday, March 21. But don’t base your Oscar predictions on these kudos. Every year a slew of Oscar-nominated scripts are deemed ineligible for consideration here due to guild guidelines. Indeed, over the past 12 years only 80 of the Writers Guild of America Awards nominees have numbered among the 120 screenplays that reaped Academy Awards bids. Scroll down for the 2021 Writers Guild of America Awards winners list.
Our odds predict that “Nomadland” will win Best Adapted Screenplay winner at the Oscars but it was not allowed to compete at the WGA Awards. Neither was another Oscar contender in that category: “The Father.” The guild did match the academy three-for-five in this category, with “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “One Night in Miami” and “The White Tiger” competing at both. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “News of the World” round out the guild nominees.
Our odds predict that “Nomadland” will win Best Adapted Screenplay winner at the Oscars but it was not allowed to compete at the WGA Awards. Neither was another Oscar contender in that category: “The Father.” The guild did match the academy three-for-five in this category, with “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “One Night in Miami” and “The White Tiger” competing at both. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “News of the World” round out the guild nominees.
- 3/21/2021
- by Zach Laws and Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The Writers Guild of America announced their WGA Awards TV nominations for on Wednesday, February 3. After getting just one bid from the Golden Globes earlier in the day, AMC’s “Better Call Saul” rebounded to top all shows with five nominations including for Drama Series along with Amazon Studios’ “The Boys,” Disney +’s “The Mandalorian” and Netflix’s “The Crown” and “Ozark.”
Hulu lands two shows in contention for Comedy Series with “The Great” and “PEN15,” making the streaming service the only company to score multiple nominees in the category. They are joined by HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso” and FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows.”
Another notable feat belongs to “The Simpsons,” which dominates the animation category with four of the six nominations. Despite premiering over 30 years ago, the Fox series shows no signs of writer’s fatigue. “Bob’s Burgers” and “BoJack Horseman...
Hulu lands two shows in contention for Comedy Series with “The Great” and “PEN15,” making the streaming service the only company to score multiple nominees in the category. They are joined by HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso” and FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows.”
Another notable feat belongs to “The Simpsons,” which dominates the animation category with four of the six nominations. Despite premiering over 30 years ago, the Fox series shows no signs of writer’s fatigue. “Bob’s Burgers” and “BoJack Horseman...
- 2/4/2021
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
The WGA on Wednesday unveiled nominations for its 2021 WGA Awards in the categories of TV, new media, news, radio/audio and promotional writing during 2020. Winners will be honored March 21 in a virtual ceremony.
AMC’s Better Call Saul topped all shows with five nominations including for Drama Series, joining a list that includes Amazon Studios’ The Boys, Netflix’s The Crown (which led the way on the TV side at the Golden Globe nominations earlier today) and Ozark and Disney+’s The Mandalorian.
Also making noise today is Hulu, the only other company to have multiple noms in the top categories; it scored in Comedy with Tony McNamara’s The Great and Pen15 and FX on Hulu’s What We Do in the Shadows, which are joined in the race by HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso.
Lasso is also nominated in the New Series,...
AMC’s Better Call Saul topped all shows with five nominations including for Drama Series, joining a list that includes Amazon Studios’ The Boys, Netflix’s The Crown (which led the way on the TV side at the Golden Globe nominations earlier today) and Ozark and Disney+’s The Mandalorian.
Also making noise today is Hulu, the only other company to have multiple noms in the top categories; it scored in Comedy with Tony McNamara’s The Great and Pen15 and FX on Hulu’s What We Do in the Shadows, which are joined in the race by HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso.
Lasso is also nominated in the New Series,...
- 2/3/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The nominations for the 2021 Writers Guild Award TV categories were announced on Wednesday, with streaming series dominating the lineup.
Both the drama series and the comedy series categories were majority streaming, with hits like “The Queen’s Gambit,” “The Mandalorian,” “The Crown” and “Ozark” sitting alongside fan-favorites like “PEN15,” “The Great” and “Ted Lasso.” Other nominees included HBO Max’s “The Flight Attendant,” HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” and Showtime’s “Good Lord Bird.
“Better Call Saul” also landed three additional nominations for individual episodes, with “Ozark” picking up another. “The Great” and “Ted Lasso” both picked up nomination for individual episodes as well as for Best New Series.
Comedy and variety nominees included Peacock’s fledgling late-night show, “The Amber Ruffin Show,” Amazon’s “Yearly Departed,” the one-off “30 Rock” reunion special and Stephen Colbert’s 2020 election coverage on Showtime.
Nominations in the film categories will be announced later this month,...
Both the drama series and the comedy series categories were majority streaming, with hits like “The Queen’s Gambit,” “The Mandalorian,” “The Crown” and “Ozark” sitting alongside fan-favorites like “PEN15,” “The Great” and “Ted Lasso.” Other nominees included HBO Max’s “The Flight Attendant,” HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” and Showtime’s “Good Lord Bird.
“Better Call Saul” also landed three additional nominations for individual episodes, with “Ozark” picking up another. “The Great” and “Ted Lasso” both picked up nomination for individual episodes as well as for Best New Series.
Comedy and variety nominees included Peacock’s fledgling late-night show, “The Amber Ruffin Show,” Amazon’s “Yearly Departed,” the one-off “30 Rock” reunion special and Stephen Colbert’s 2020 election coverage on Showtime.
Nominations in the film categories will be announced later this month,...
- 2/3/2021
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
“Better Call Saul” are among the top nominees for this year’s Writers Guild Awards, landing a nod for best drama series, as well as three nominations in the episodic drama category. “The Simpsons” landed four nominations in best animation, while newcomers “Ted Lasso” and “The Great” both scored nominations in best comedy, new series and episodic comedy. Winners will be honored at a joint 2021 Writers Guild Awards virtual ceremony on Sunday, March 21, 2021. Here’s the complete list of nominations, announced on Wednesday morning:
Drama Series
“Better Call Saul,” Written by Ann Cherkis, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Ariel Levine, Heather Marion, Thomas Schnauz, Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock; AMC
“The Boys,” Written by Eric Kripke, Ellie Monahan, Anslem Richardson, Craig Rosenberg, Michael Saltzman, Rebecca Sonnenshine; Amazon Prime Video
“The Crown,” Written by Peter Morgan, Jonathan Wilson; Netflix
“The Mandalorian,” Written by Rick Famuyiwa, Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni; Disney Plus
“Ozark,” Written by Laura Deeley,...
Drama Series
“Better Call Saul,” Written by Ann Cherkis, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Ariel Levine, Heather Marion, Thomas Schnauz, Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock; AMC
“The Boys,” Written by Eric Kripke, Ellie Monahan, Anslem Richardson, Craig Rosenberg, Michael Saltzman, Rebecca Sonnenshine; Amazon Prime Video
“The Crown,” Written by Peter Morgan, Jonathan Wilson; Netflix
“The Mandalorian,” Written by Rick Famuyiwa, Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni; Disney Plus
“Ozark,” Written by Laura Deeley,...
- 2/3/2021
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Jonathan I. Kidd and Sonya Winton-Odamtten, co-executive producers and writers on HBO’s acclaimed woke sci-fi horror series Lovecraft Country, have extended their overall deal with the premium cable network for four years. Under their re-upped eight-figure deal, the pair will develop the limited series Say Their Names.
Say Their Names examines the “Grim Sleeper” murders from the perspective of Bajan-American, human rights activist Margaret Prescod who founded The Black Coalition Fighting Back Serial Murders in the mid-1980s. The limited series will follow her journey as she seeks justice for Black girls and women killed in a wave of unsolved murders in South Los Angeles over a 30-year period, exposing police corruption and a cover-up that allowed Lonnie Franklin (aka Grim Sleeper) to murder for decades.
Kidd and Winton-Odamtten will write the limited series and executive produce alongside director Elliott Lester, Lisa Ellis for Provenance Venutures, as well...
Say Their Names examines the “Grim Sleeper” murders from the perspective of Bajan-American, human rights activist Margaret Prescod who founded The Black Coalition Fighting Back Serial Murders in the mid-1980s. The limited series will follow her journey as she seeks justice for Black girls and women killed in a wave of unsolved murders in South Los Angeles over a 30-year period, exposing police corruption and a cover-up that allowed Lonnie Franklin (aka Grim Sleeper) to murder for decades.
Kidd and Winton-Odamtten will write the limited series and executive produce alongside director Elliott Lester, Lisa Ellis for Provenance Venutures, as well...
- 12/18/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
A review of “Rewind 1921,” this week’s episode of Lovecraft Country, coming up just as soon as I tell you the ingredients for “road rash”…
“I got ya, kid.” —Tic
“Rewind 1921” debuts about a week shy of the one-year anniversary of the Watchmen series premiere, which put the Tulsa Race Massacre at the center of half the cultural conversations many of us have been having for the past 12 months. That two HBO shows should devote mid-October episodes to recreating the same historical atrocity is a fluke of timing — and a...
“I got ya, kid.” —Tic
“Rewind 1921” debuts about a week shy of the one-year anniversary of the Watchmen series premiere, which put the Tulsa Race Massacre at the center of half the cultural conversations many of us have been having for the past 12 months. That two HBO shows should devote mid-October episodes to recreating the same historical atrocity is a fluke of timing — and a...
- 10/12/2020
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
Everything is on the line for Atticus (Jonathan Majors) and his family as the ninth episode of Lovecraft Country heads to the past and sets the stage for the deadly season finale.
In “Rewind 1921,” directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff and written by Misha Green & Jonathan Kidd & Sonya Winton, Tic, Leti (Jurnee Smollett) and Montrose (Michael K. Williams) head to the past via the multiverse machine to retrieve the Book of Names from Tic’s grandmother. In the process, they meet the teenage versions of Montrose, George, and Tic’s mother Dora. While the rules of time travel ...
In “Rewind 1921,” directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff and written by Misha Green & Jonathan Kidd & Sonya Winton, Tic, Leti (Jurnee Smollett) and Montrose (Michael K. Williams) head to the past via the multiverse machine to retrieve the Book of Names from Tic’s grandmother. In the process, they meet the teenage versions of Montrose, George, and Tic’s mother Dora. While the rules of time travel ...
- 10/11/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Everything is on the line for Atticus (Jonathan Majors) and his family as the ninth episode of Lovecraft Country heads to the past and sets the stage for the deadly season finale.
In “Rewind 1921,” directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff and written by Misha Green & Jonathan Kidd & Sonya Winton, Tic, Leti (Jurnee Smollett) and Montrose (Michael K. Williams) head to the past via the multiverse machine to retrieve the Book of Names from Tic’s grandmother. In the process, they meet the teenage versions of Montrose, George, and Tic’s mother Dora. While the rules of time travel ...
In “Rewind 1921,” directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff and written by Misha Green & Jonathan Kidd & Sonya Winton, Tic, Leti (Jurnee Smollett) and Montrose (Michael K. Williams) head to the past via the multiverse machine to retrieve the Book of Names from Tic’s grandmother. In the process, they meet the teenage versions of Montrose, George, and Tic’s mother Dora. While the rules of time travel ...
- 10/11/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The fifth episode of Lovecraft Country, “Strange Case,” is all about metamorphoses, some more traumatic than others, but all equally powerful in setting the stage for several central characters as they enter the second half of the season.
What’s interesting about “Strange Case,” directed by Cheryl Dunye and written by Misha Green and Jonathan Kidd & Sonya Winton, is that it indirectly deals with Yahima’s (Monique Candelaria) legacy and the idea of two-spiritedness. Following Montrose’s murder of Yahima at the end of the fourth episode, a controversial move for viewers who view the character ...
What’s interesting about “Strange Case,” directed by Cheryl Dunye and written by Misha Green and Jonathan Kidd & Sonya Winton, is that it indirectly deals with Yahima’s (Monique Candelaria) legacy and the idea of two-spiritedness. Following Montrose’s murder of Yahima at the end of the fourth episode, a controversial move for viewers who view the character ...
- 9/14/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The fifth episode of Lovecraft Country, “Strange Case,” is all about metamorphoses, some more traumatic than others, but all equally powerful in setting the stage for several central characters as they enter the second half of the season.
What’s interesting about “Strange Case,” directed by Cheryl Dunye and written by Misha Green and Jonathan Kidd & Sonya Winton, is that it indirectly deals with Yahima’s (Monique Candelaria) legacy and the idea of two-spiritedness. Following Montrose’s murder of Yahima at the end of the fourth episode, a controversial move for viewers who view the character ...
What’s interesting about “Strange Case,” directed by Cheryl Dunye and written by Misha Green and Jonathan Kidd & Sonya Winton, is that it indirectly deals with Yahima’s (Monique Candelaria) legacy and the idea of two-spiritedness. Following Montrose’s murder of Yahima at the end of the fourth episode, a controversial move for viewers who view the character ...
- 9/14/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
As Sonya Winton-Odamtten and Jonathan Kidd put the finishing touches on their upcoming adaptation of Matt Ruff’s novel Lovecraft Country, the writing duo saw the coronavirus pandemic unfold and felt they needed to jump into action. They teamed with the non-profit Frontline Foods to launch the #FeedBCHW Challenge, which supports health care workers in underserved Black neighborhoods.
The pair organized over forty Black creators in Hollywood for the challenge including Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions, Robine Thede (Black Lady Sketch Show), Ayanna Floyd (The Chi), Anthony Sparks (Queen Sugar), Tracy Oliver (The First Wives Club), JaSheika James and JaNeika James (Empire), Yolanda E. Lawrence (Empire), Erika Green (New Amsterdam), Rashaan Dozier Escalante (Seal Team), Aaron Rahsaan Thomas (S.W.A.T.), Jamie Turner (All American), Maisha Closson (The L Word), Ubah Mohamed (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), Erica Butler (Greenleaf), Felicia Pride (Queen Sugar), Ben Watkins, Erika Johnson (Americanah), among many others.
Winton-Odamtten said that the roster of Black creatives have helped feed hospitals all across the country from L.A. to Kansas City. “We’re just going to continue every week,” she said. “In addition to the 40 writers, we have a total of 31 donors who donated to the cause. We’ve had massive support around this.”
As co-executive producers of Lovecraft Country, which debuts in August, the two signed a two-year overall deal with HBO and have a resume of impressive TV credits, but as former Columbia University and UCLA college professors and with PhDs in African American Studies from Yale, the two bring insight to the current pandemic. In addition to talking to Deadline about what inspired them to start the #FeedBCHW Challenge, Winton-Odamtten and Kidd unpacked how the pandemic is a repeat of history when it comes to the disproportionate impact on communities of color and how this will affect inclusive storytelling in Hollywood.
Deadline: When the pandemic start to become more present in the United States, what was your initial reaction and did you see the disproportionate impact against people of color on the horizon?
Sonya Winton-Odamtten: I started tracking the stories about Covid-19 in Wuhan in January. And, the reality is that we live in a global society. So, this notion that somehow it’s happening over there and not in my backyard, that doesn’t really exist. [Jonathan] and I are students of African-American history, so we’d get looked at the impact on health disparities historically in African-American communities. And so, the question of whether or not an actual pandemic was to emerge and arrive on our shores, we already knew what the narrative was going to become as related to African-American communities, particularly those that are disenfranchised and underserved because you have higher rates of certain chronic diseases in those communities and, coupled with that, you have also health disparities in terms of resources that hospitals in those communities possess. You also have a history of systemic racism where an individual who is a black or brown person is not being served on the same level by the healthcare officials. All of those things have been historically proven and adequately researched.
Deadline: What can we learn from history when it comes to health crises?
Winton-odamtten: We’ve lived through eight public health crises, to some extent, which is HIV and AIDS. People forget that that initially was called a white, gay man’s disease. But, if one was a student of history, they could have projected exactly where we ended up, which are, the numbers have paled out, unfortunately, that poor, African-American communities and Latinos are both communities who are disproportionately impacted by that disease.
If you’re a student of history, you can also forecast. We knew it was going to happen. A lot of the ridiculous conversations that Black people couldn’t actually contract it initially was just so mind-boggling. I was like, why are we even engaging in that conversation when, in fact, we should be preparing and hunkering down?
Deadline: What made both you jump into action and start #FeedBCHW?
Winton-odamtten: [Jonathan] and I were on a call and we said, “well, we should be feeding, providing resources to those hospitals that are in underserved Black communities because there we can have an impact.” We want them to know that we have their backs and that they’re supported, but we also want to give them one less thing to worry about. The throes of the day when they’re surrounded by grieving families and failing health. That is my perspective of how we’ve gotten here.
Deadline: How do you think this pandemic speaks to the bigger picture and how events like these impact communities of color?
Jonathan Kidd: To me, people talk about Covid and the way in which it’s ravaging a community, but I feel like it speaks to a broader conversation. In terms of the core-morbidities that people have, in particular, issues around the Department of Justice. We talk about the Flint Water Crisis, but we don’t talk about the new garbage dump they’re building and there’s going to be particulates in the air that cause asthma. Where do they put that? They put that in poor communities of color, for the most part. Look at how highways have been built. There’s a highway here in L.A. right next to a high school. That’s not in Beverly Hills. That’s not in Calabasas. Again, impacting people of color.
If you look at food deserts in urban areas, food deserts cause diabetes because all you’re eating are Cheetos and drinking Fanta. You know what I mean? We were just talking yesterday… being a vegan is expensive. Healthy food is expensive. And so, if you don’t have access to these things, then it’s like, “Oh, I have diabetes. I have asthma, hypertension.” Then I’m more susceptible to Covid. So, I feel like it’s also part of a broader conversation we want to have about health and wellness and how we as a society can treat people better in terms of better access to healthy food. In terms of not putting waste dumps in the middle of communities. Not having lead paint so kids have brain damage because they’re eating lead paint that should have been banned in 1973.
Deadline: It is clear that all communities of color are being impacted on all fronts. As you pointed out, Black and Latinx communities are being disproportionately affected but we have seen the increase in harassment against Asian Americans. How important do you think allyship is in this pandemic and, not only within marginalized communities but with white communities?
Winton-odamtten: Our former agent is a Chinese-American brother… we called him and said be careful out there. He got a little quiet and I said, “Dude, the pendulum has swung.” The president of the United States, presidential aides are calling it “Kung-Flu” in the White House. It’s unapologetically white-supremacy at its finest. The “model minority” is thrown out the window. It’s forever changed. It’s gone. I told him to check on his family and to make sure that they understand that, if they step out of the house, that they are aware of their surroundings and if they’re being followed.
I called [Nancy Drew showrunner] Melinda Hsu-Taylor — she’s like our big sister — and told be careful out there. She lives on the west side [of L.A.] and she said there hasn’t been any verbal statements made, but she could feel the shift.
As historians, it’s very hard to not live also in the future. I’m having a conversation with you about alliance-building, but I’m also living 10 years ahead, because, again, we can see where this is going. [Jonathan] and I have always warned people about the pendulum swing. You can look at it historically. One moment, you are the “model minority” and then they’re calling it “Kung-Flu” and they don’t give a fuck about that “model minority” status.
Everybody always falls out of favor. With the exception of white, straight, rich masculinity — we’re talking about our president — rarely does anyone else get a pass to make a mistake, to be of error, to be part of a group where an individual has digressed. Rarely does that happen. We don’t call all white men serial killers. We don’t….although, they make up the majority of serial killers.
In terms of your specific question about alliance-building, I haven’t seen it. But, part of that is because, again, our living in a bubble right now. We’re launching and developing our other shows. My alliances have come in my personal relationships.
Kidd: Looking forward, it’s about not forgetting this moment. I think that’s what’s important. The initial title of my dissertation was “Nation in Contagion” and it was basically how religion, disease, otherness all contribute to the power gangs. So, if you look at Jews, Catholics, and White Women in 1600s, they were seen as witches. In Shakespeare they were seen as witches. The same conversation happened about captive Africans — they’re pagans. People said “They’re going to fuck all our women! They’re going to steal all our shit!” Same thing said about Native Americans. If you look at 9/11, or actually HIV-aids in the 80s, hemophiliacs, homosexuals, hypodermic drug users, and Haitians — it’s the same conversation. There was an assumption that Haitian boat people were bringing their disease and that AIDS because they practice voodoo. With 9/11 and Muslims, it’s the same thing. We got to ban the Muslims from coming into this country. Same story with immigrants from the American South.
These immigrants are coming in are stereotypically against abortion and against gay marriage and republicans are saying they don’t when them to come over? Why? That’s your base!
It doesn’t make sense. For me the thing that’s fascinating is in every single conversation, it’s the same language being used. So, for those in the Asian-American community, there was a time when people got beat up because they were mad because there were Chinese workers working on the railroads. Then there’s the stereotype of the Chinese laundromat. They got burnt out of laundromats, right? People also forget about Japanese internment camps during WWII. Asian American identity itself is based on a hate crime.
Deadline: How do you think the pandemic will affect the movement toward diversity and equity in Hollywood? Do you think it will hinder or help?
Kidd: Maybe I sound optimistic and I’m delusional, but I feel like Covid, in terms of work, is kind of an equalizer. You still have to go through insurance. You still have to secure your location in terms of health and wellness. You still have to make sure your cast is comfortable getting on set. You still have to have content. You still have to have people writing stuff. You still have to have directors who direct with a vision. I feel like it shifts and adds a lot of complications in terms of prep and in terms of being in production, but I feel like the great equalizer that is cable TV, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max — we’re going to need a lot of content.
I don’t fear… Sonya and I have an obsession with TV shows set in Africa. That’s part of our long-term plan. We just love storytelling. I think that, again, there’s always the opportunity for disparate treatment where sexism, racism, homophobia can come into play and in terms of people making money or not making money, but I feel like the upswing that we’ve seen in terms of access is going to remain because it’s money-driven. Crazy Rich Asians was a hit. People are like, “Shit, let’s make another one!” It’s like The Game — when it went to Bet, it was a game-changer. They got eight million eyeballs on Bet and people were like, “Oh my gosh, what?!” Then you have Being Mary Jane, Scandal — now, all of a sudden, we’re in the middle of a Black Renaissance.
Winton-odamtten: I’m also optimistic. For me, the broader conversation is how do creators address or directly speak to this pandemic that we’re having? How does one do it and make it nuanced? Because who wants a spot-on version of the one we’ve been living? It gives people popcorn ideas to chew on in the form of comedy and procedurals. I do think that it’s going to be a challenge for drama writers who are from historically marginalized communities to then take the question around identity politics and put it within the construct of the conversation of what a pandemic looks like. I think that this is an opportunity for us to sit for a second, self-reflect, and then figure out, how do we elevate it by putting ourselves at the center of it.
For more information on how to donate to #FeedBCHW click here.
The pair organized over forty Black creators in Hollywood for the challenge including Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions, Robine Thede (Black Lady Sketch Show), Ayanna Floyd (The Chi), Anthony Sparks (Queen Sugar), Tracy Oliver (The First Wives Club), JaSheika James and JaNeika James (Empire), Yolanda E. Lawrence (Empire), Erika Green (New Amsterdam), Rashaan Dozier Escalante (Seal Team), Aaron Rahsaan Thomas (S.W.A.T.), Jamie Turner (All American), Maisha Closson (The L Word), Ubah Mohamed (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), Erica Butler (Greenleaf), Felicia Pride (Queen Sugar), Ben Watkins, Erika Johnson (Americanah), among many others.
Winton-Odamtten said that the roster of Black creatives have helped feed hospitals all across the country from L.A. to Kansas City. “We’re just going to continue every week,” she said. “In addition to the 40 writers, we have a total of 31 donors who donated to the cause. We’ve had massive support around this.”
As co-executive producers of Lovecraft Country, which debuts in August, the two signed a two-year overall deal with HBO and have a resume of impressive TV credits, but as former Columbia University and UCLA college professors and with PhDs in African American Studies from Yale, the two bring insight to the current pandemic. In addition to talking to Deadline about what inspired them to start the #FeedBCHW Challenge, Winton-Odamtten and Kidd unpacked how the pandemic is a repeat of history when it comes to the disproportionate impact on communities of color and how this will affect inclusive storytelling in Hollywood.
Deadline: When the pandemic start to become more present in the United States, what was your initial reaction and did you see the disproportionate impact against people of color on the horizon?
Sonya Winton-Odamtten: I started tracking the stories about Covid-19 in Wuhan in January. And, the reality is that we live in a global society. So, this notion that somehow it’s happening over there and not in my backyard, that doesn’t really exist. [Jonathan] and I are students of African-American history, so we’d get looked at the impact on health disparities historically in African-American communities. And so, the question of whether or not an actual pandemic was to emerge and arrive on our shores, we already knew what the narrative was going to become as related to African-American communities, particularly those that are disenfranchised and underserved because you have higher rates of certain chronic diseases in those communities and, coupled with that, you have also health disparities in terms of resources that hospitals in those communities possess. You also have a history of systemic racism where an individual who is a black or brown person is not being served on the same level by the healthcare officials. All of those things have been historically proven and adequately researched.
Deadline: What can we learn from history when it comes to health crises?
Winton-odamtten: We’ve lived through eight public health crises, to some extent, which is HIV and AIDS. People forget that that initially was called a white, gay man’s disease. But, if one was a student of history, they could have projected exactly where we ended up, which are, the numbers have paled out, unfortunately, that poor, African-American communities and Latinos are both communities who are disproportionately impacted by that disease.
If you’re a student of history, you can also forecast. We knew it was going to happen. A lot of the ridiculous conversations that Black people couldn’t actually contract it initially was just so mind-boggling. I was like, why are we even engaging in that conversation when, in fact, we should be preparing and hunkering down?
Deadline: What made both you jump into action and start #FeedBCHW?
Winton-odamtten: [Jonathan] and I were on a call and we said, “well, we should be feeding, providing resources to those hospitals that are in underserved Black communities because there we can have an impact.” We want them to know that we have their backs and that they’re supported, but we also want to give them one less thing to worry about. The throes of the day when they’re surrounded by grieving families and failing health. That is my perspective of how we’ve gotten here.
Deadline: How do you think this pandemic speaks to the bigger picture and how events like these impact communities of color?
Jonathan Kidd: To me, people talk about Covid and the way in which it’s ravaging a community, but I feel like it speaks to a broader conversation. In terms of the core-morbidities that people have, in particular, issues around the Department of Justice. We talk about the Flint Water Crisis, but we don’t talk about the new garbage dump they’re building and there’s going to be particulates in the air that cause asthma. Where do they put that? They put that in poor communities of color, for the most part. Look at how highways have been built. There’s a highway here in L.A. right next to a high school. That’s not in Beverly Hills. That’s not in Calabasas. Again, impacting people of color.
If you look at food deserts in urban areas, food deserts cause diabetes because all you’re eating are Cheetos and drinking Fanta. You know what I mean? We were just talking yesterday… being a vegan is expensive. Healthy food is expensive. And so, if you don’t have access to these things, then it’s like, “Oh, I have diabetes. I have asthma, hypertension.” Then I’m more susceptible to Covid. So, I feel like it’s also part of a broader conversation we want to have about health and wellness and how we as a society can treat people better in terms of better access to healthy food. In terms of not putting waste dumps in the middle of communities. Not having lead paint so kids have brain damage because they’re eating lead paint that should have been banned in 1973.
Deadline: It is clear that all communities of color are being impacted on all fronts. As you pointed out, Black and Latinx communities are being disproportionately affected but we have seen the increase in harassment against Asian Americans. How important do you think allyship is in this pandemic and, not only within marginalized communities but with white communities?
Winton-odamtten: Our former agent is a Chinese-American brother… we called him and said be careful out there. He got a little quiet and I said, “Dude, the pendulum has swung.” The president of the United States, presidential aides are calling it “Kung-Flu” in the White House. It’s unapologetically white-supremacy at its finest. The “model minority” is thrown out the window. It’s forever changed. It’s gone. I told him to check on his family and to make sure that they understand that, if they step out of the house, that they are aware of their surroundings and if they’re being followed.
I called [Nancy Drew showrunner] Melinda Hsu-Taylor — she’s like our big sister — and told be careful out there. She lives on the west side [of L.A.] and she said there hasn’t been any verbal statements made, but she could feel the shift.
As historians, it’s very hard to not live also in the future. I’m having a conversation with you about alliance-building, but I’m also living 10 years ahead, because, again, we can see where this is going. [Jonathan] and I have always warned people about the pendulum swing. You can look at it historically. One moment, you are the “model minority” and then they’re calling it “Kung-Flu” and they don’t give a fuck about that “model minority” status.
Everybody always falls out of favor. With the exception of white, straight, rich masculinity — we’re talking about our president — rarely does anyone else get a pass to make a mistake, to be of error, to be part of a group where an individual has digressed. Rarely does that happen. We don’t call all white men serial killers. We don’t….although, they make up the majority of serial killers.
In terms of your specific question about alliance-building, I haven’t seen it. But, part of that is because, again, our living in a bubble right now. We’re launching and developing our other shows. My alliances have come in my personal relationships.
Kidd: Looking forward, it’s about not forgetting this moment. I think that’s what’s important. The initial title of my dissertation was “Nation in Contagion” and it was basically how religion, disease, otherness all contribute to the power gangs. So, if you look at Jews, Catholics, and White Women in 1600s, they were seen as witches. In Shakespeare they were seen as witches. The same conversation happened about captive Africans — they’re pagans. People said “They’re going to fuck all our women! They’re going to steal all our shit!” Same thing said about Native Americans. If you look at 9/11, or actually HIV-aids in the 80s, hemophiliacs, homosexuals, hypodermic drug users, and Haitians — it’s the same conversation. There was an assumption that Haitian boat people were bringing their disease and that AIDS because they practice voodoo. With 9/11 and Muslims, it’s the same thing. We got to ban the Muslims from coming into this country. Same story with immigrants from the American South.
These immigrants are coming in are stereotypically against abortion and against gay marriage and republicans are saying they don’t when them to come over? Why? That’s your base!
It doesn’t make sense. For me the thing that’s fascinating is in every single conversation, it’s the same language being used. So, for those in the Asian-American community, there was a time when people got beat up because they were mad because there were Chinese workers working on the railroads. Then there’s the stereotype of the Chinese laundromat. They got burnt out of laundromats, right? People also forget about Japanese internment camps during WWII. Asian American identity itself is based on a hate crime.
Deadline: How do you think the pandemic will affect the movement toward diversity and equity in Hollywood? Do you think it will hinder or help?
Kidd: Maybe I sound optimistic and I’m delusional, but I feel like Covid, in terms of work, is kind of an equalizer. You still have to go through insurance. You still have to secure your location in terms of health and wellness. You still have to make sure your cast is comfortable getting on set. You still have to have content. You still have to have people writing stuff. You still have to have directors who direct with a vision. I feel like it shifts and adds a lot of complications in terms of prep and in terms of being in production, but I feel like the great equalizer that is cable TV, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max — we’re going to need a lot of content.
I don’t fear… Sonya and I have an obsession with TV shows set in Africa. That’s part of our long-term plan. We just love storytelling. I think that, again, there’s always the opportunity for disparate treatment where sexism, racism, homophobia can come into play and in terms of people making money or not making money, but I feel like the upswing that we’ve seen in terms of access is going to remain because it’s money-driven. Crazy Rich Asians was a hit. People are like, “Shit, let’s make another one!” It’s like The Game — when it went to Bet, it was a game-changer. They got eight million eyeballs on Bet and people were like, “Oh my gosh, what?!” Then you have Being Mary Jane, Scandal — now, all of a sudden, we’re in the middle of a Black Renaissance.
Winton-odamtten: I’m also optimistic. For me, the broader conversation is how do creators address or directly speak to this pandemic that we’re having? How does one do it and make it nuanced? Because who wants a spot-on version of the one we’ve been living? It gives people popcorn ideas to chew on in the form of comedy and procedurals. I do think that it’s going to be a challenge for drama writers who are from historically marginalized communities to then take the question around identity politics and put it within the construct of the conversation of what a pandemic looks like. I think that this is an opportunity for us to sit for a second, self-reflect, and then figure out, how do we elevate it by putting ourselves at the center of it.
For more information on how to donate to #FeedBCHW click here.
- 6/8/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Jonathan I. Kidd and Sonya Winton-Odamtten, co-executive producers of HBO’s upcoming drama series Lovecraft Country, have signed a one-year overall deal with the premium cable network, their first overall agreement. Under the pact, the writing team will continue to work on Lovecraft Country, from Misha Green, Jordan Peele and J. J. Abrams, as well as develop new projects for the network.
Former Columbia University and UCLA college professors, playwrights, and documentarians, Kidd and Winton-Odamtten forged their creative partnership at Yale University where they both earned PhDs in African American Studies/English and African American Studies/Political Science, respectively.
Kidd and Winton-Odamtten broke into the industry in 2009 when they were accepted into the Warner Brothers Television Writers’ Workshop. From there, they went on to serve as staff writers on ABC’s legal drama The Whole Truth and landed a blind script deal at Warner Horizon, through which they acquired...
Former Columbia University and UCLA college professors, playwrights, and documentarians, Kidd and Winton-Odamtten forged their creative partnership at Yale University where they both earned PhDs in African American Studies/English and African American Studies/Political Science, respectively.
Kidd and Winton-Odamtten broke into the industry in 2009 when they were accepted into the Warner Brothers Television Writers’ Workshop. From there, they went on to serve as staff writers on ABC’s legal drama The Whole Truth and landed a blind script deal at Warner Horizon, through which they acquired...
- 4/9/2019
- by Nellie Andreeva and Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
HBO is developing drama series Trader, with Tika Sumpter (Southside With You) set to executive produce and intended to star.
Written by Sonya Winton and Jonathan Kidd (Lovecraft Country), Trader is a contemporary re-imagining of the Robin Hood saga told through the perspective of a half-Nigerian and half-Black American female, Adefolke Girabaldi (a role earmarked for Sumpter), an investing wunderkind and trading forecast prodigy on Wall Street. As an activist short seller, Adefolke will wield her billion-dollar hedge fund as a sword to eviscerate predatory corporations that exploit the poor, all while navigating the unscrupulous world of the Girabaldi family who are the center of New York City’s black aristocracy where money, privilege, and racism intersect in sometimes insidious ways.
Winton and Kidd executive produce alongside Sumpter and her manager, Emily Gerson Saines, producer of HBO’s Temple Grandin and founder of Brookside Artist Management.
Sumpter can be seen...
Written by Sonya Winton and Jonathan Kidd (Lovecraft Country), Trader is a contemporary re-imagining of the Robin Hood saga told through the perspective of a half-Nigerian and half-Black American female, Adefolke Girabaldi (a role earmarked for Sumpter), an investing wunderkind and trading forecast prodigy on Wall Street. As an activist short seller, Adefolke will wield her billion-dollar hedge fund as a sword to eviscerate predatory corporations that exploit the poor, all while navigating the unscrupulous world of the Girabaldi family who are the center of New York City’s black aristocracy where money, privilege, and racism intersect in sometimes insidious ways.
Winton and Kidd executive produce alongside Sumpter and her manager, Emily Gerson Saines, producer of HBO’s Temple Grandin and founder of Brookside Artist Management.
Sumpter can be seen...
- 10/26/2018
- by Nellie Andreeva and Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Recently, CBS delivered the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "NCIS: New Orleans" episode 20 of season 1. The episode is entitled, "Rock-a-Bye-Baby," and it turns out that we're going to see some very intense and interesting stuff as the team rushes into action to retrieve a Navy Commander's stolen baby, and more. In the new, 20th episode press release: When A Navy Commander's Car Is Stolen With His Baby Inside, The NCIS Team Races To Locate The Child. Press release number 2: When a Navy Commander's car is stolen with his baby inside, the NCIS team is going to have to determine if this was a random carjacking or a targeted abduction. Diane Neal returns as Coast Guard Investigative Service Special Agent ,Abigail Borin. Guest stars feature: Diane Neal (Coast Guard Investigative Service Special Agent Abigail Borin), Ramon de Ocampo (Navy Commander Josh Newman), Angela Lin (Chen Lin), David Tom...
- 4/7/2015
- by Megan
- OnTheFlix
Recently, CBS delivered the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "NCIS: New Orleans" episode 15 of season 1. The episode is entitled, "Le Carnivale de la Mort," and it turns out that we're going to see some intense and lively action take place when major Mardi Gras parties go down, along with a chilling murder, and more! In the new, 15th episode press release: Mardi Gras parades and parties will fill the streets of New Orleans, but the NCIS team is going to have to solve the murder of a petty officer before joining the festivities. Press release number 2: After a Petty Officer is found murdered in the midst of Mardi Gras events, the NCIS team will investigate what parades and parties led to his untimely death. Also, Pride is going to have to decide what aspects of his strained relationship with his father he is willing to share with his daughter.
- 2/10/2015
- by Andre Braddox
- OnTheFlix
Showtime reigns supreme when it comes to edgy, controversial dramas, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the cable network has put the neo-Nazi drama, "The 4th Reich," into development. Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal will executive produce.
"The 4th Reich" is a crime thriller set in present-day South Boston and written by Sonya Winton and Jonathan Kidd. The story centers on a former leader of the neo-Nazi movement after he is released from jail on the condition that he become a confidential informant to the FBI. Once home, the man finds that his 15-year-old son has been influenced by his former best friend and the current leader of the neo-Nazi group.
Considering the subject matter of this show, the producers have already made it clear that the focus is not just on the violence of the neo-Nazi movement but on the human stories of people trying to leave extremism behind.
"The 4th Reich" is a crime thriller set in present-day South Boston and written by Sonya Winton and Jonathan Kidd. The story centers on a former leader of the neo-Nazi movement after he is released from jail on the condition that he become a confidential informant to the FBI. Once home, the man finds that his 15-year-old son has been influenced by his former best friend and the current leader of the neo-Nazi group.
Considering the subject matter of this show, the producers have already made it clear that the focus is not just on the violence of the neo-Nazi movement but on the human stories of people trying to leave extremism behind.
- 1/23/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Exclusive: Living up to its “Brace Yourself” slogan, Showtime has put in development another provocative project, neo-Nazi drama The 4th Reich. The project, executive produced by Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal, is described as American History X meets The Town. It is a high-octane crime thriller delving into race, religion, and politics through the lens of a dogmatic faction of the neo-Nazi movement in South Boston. When a former leader is sprung from jail by agreeing to become a confidential informant to the FBI, he assimilates back to his old life and finds his estranged 15-year-old son has been co-opted by his former best friend and now current leader of the Brotherhood. The trajectory of the series will track the central character caught between two worlds as he starts to gain perspective and change. 4th Reich, written on spec by Sonya Winton and Jonathan Kidd, has been a passion...
- 1/23/2013
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
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