Jason Blum has been on a roll lately in the film world. Over the past two years, he has produced “BlacKkKlansman,” “Halloween,” “Glass,” “Us,” and “The Invisible Man.” The amount of goodwill stored up by the horror producer has freed him up to venture outside his studio’s usual fare, especially in the TV world. In 2014, he produced the acclaimed TV drama “The Normal Heart” and just two years ago his miniseries “Sharp Objects” became a critical favorite. Blum is now using his clout to produce the television series “The Good Lord Bird,” which is a fictionalized version of the life of abolitionist John Brown and the 1859 raid on Harper’s Ferry that preceded the American Civil War.
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With Blum producing, Ethan Hawke adapted and created “The Good Lord Bird” from the novel of the same name written by James McBride. Hawke, in his first role as a creator for television, also stars as John Brown and has, himself, undergone some career highs as of late. 2018 saw Hawke in one of the most talked-about roles of the year as Reverend Toller in “First Reformed,” and he also directed the not-widely-seen, but acclaimed film “Blaze.”
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Daveed Diggs (“Blindspotting”) has been announced to play Frederick Douglass, and while no casting has been announced, the novel features an encounter with Harriet Tubman which would be the second recent portrayal of Tubman following Cynthia Erivo in last year’s “Harriet.” While Brown is the focal point of the story, it is told through the eyes of a young, enslaved boy named Onion who will be played by Joshua Caleb Johnson.
“The Good Lord Bird” will premiere on Showtime on October 4.
Here is the official synopsis:
“The Good Lord Bird” is told from the point of view of Onion, a fictional enslaved boy, who is part of John Brown’s motley crew of abolitionist soldiers during the time of Bleeding Kansas, eventually participating in the famous 1859 raid on the Army depot at Harpers Ferry.