Steve McQueen is one of those directors who we would pretty much follow anywhere and as his new drama “12 Years A Slave” continues to amass critical raves with an eye towards Oscar gold it seems like he can do pretty much anything. One of those things, according to Deadline, is a new series for HBO from “World War Z” writer Matthew Michael Carnahan and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. The untitled drama, according to the site, is being described as “‘Sex Degrees of Separation‘ meets ‘Shame.'” Aaaaaaaand we’re in!
The pilot was co-written by McQueen and Carnahan, with McQueen set to direct the first episode, and the plot is described as “ an exploration of a young African American man’s experience entering New York high society, with a past that may not be what it seems.” That sounds pretty intriguing, we must say.
Alongside Simmons with be Oscar-winning producers Iain Canning and Emile Sherman (“The Kings Speech“), with the project being fast tracked and potentially going forward before McQueen starts his next big screen directorial gig. And if there’s one place that McQueen and Carnahan can push the boundaries and really engage with some provocative material, it’s certainly HBO, which has a history of pushing the envelope until it rips apart into tiny, tiny pieces.
“12 Years A Slave” is in limited release now and will expand every week until it’s the only movie anybody talks about ever (sorry, “Gravity“).