After indie filmmaker Justin Simien dropped the much anticipated crowdfunded feature Dear White People back in 2014, he teased the possibility of turning the film into a series.
Seeing the film, which broke records for crowdfunded productions, hit the small screen definitely seemed like an exciting prospect. According to recent reports, it’s actually happening.
Netflix has ordered a 10-episode series based on Dear White People.
The 10-episode, 30-minute series hails from Lionsgate Television and will, like the film, follow a diverse group of students of color as they navigate a predominantly white Ivy League college where racial tensions are often swept under the rug. The series is a send up of “post-racial” America that also weaves a universal story about forging one’s own unique path.
Simien is set to write and will direct the first episode. Producers Stephanie Allain and Julia Lebedev, who worked on the original movie are also set to executive produce the series. There’s no word yet on whether or not the original cast will appear.
“During the film’s release, I had the pleasure to speak with hundreds of students and faculty across a variety of college campuses dealing with these very issues in real time,” Simien said. “I’m so grateful to have this platform — not only to give a voice to those too often unheard in our culture, but to also tell great stories from new points of views. From Day 1, Lionsgate has been remarkably supportive of the vision for the show, and working with Netflix is every bit as harmonious as I’d imagined it would be. Bringing this show to such a vibrant platform is an honor I don’t take lightly.”