According to Variety, Chadwick Boseman and Seth MacFarlane are teaming up to executive produce a limited series about the Little Rock Nine—the group of Black children who attended a formerly all-white high school in Arkansas in 1957 while the state violently pushed back against the desegregation of schools. Everyone has surely seen the images of the National Guard members, under orders from President Eisenhower, standing in defense of the students as they made their way into Little Rock Central High School, but this show will be based on a memoir by Little Rock Nine member Carlotta Walls LaNier (A Mighty Long Way: My Journey To Justice At Little Rock Central High), so it’s probably going to go deeper into the struggles the Black students faced even after the school was forced to admit them.
Walls LaNier herself will be a consultant on the project, with Pulitzer-winning playwright/She’s Gotta Have It TV show writer Eisa Davis handling the script. That brings us to Seth MacFarlane, whose involvement seems… surprising? It’s not that he can’t produce something like this, certainly, it’s just unexpected given pretty much every other thing he’s ever done. This isn’t a wacky sitcom satire, it doesn’t involve singing jazzy standards, and he (hopefully) won’t get to do a funny voice. If we had to guess, though, we’d say he just thinks it’s a story worth telling and he wants to use his TV clout to help make it happen. It still might result in a lot of “wait, that Seth MacFarlane?” reactions when the credits roll, but maybe that’ll convince someone to give American Dad! a shot and they’ll realize that the MacFarlane name really can be a mark of quality.
The project is being developed for Universal, but Variety doesn’t say where it might land.
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Might I interest you in my alternate history sci fi thriller in which the West Memphis Three and the Central Park Five team up to go back in time to save the Little Rock Nine from the 211s?
/does the mathI’ll allow it.
I don’t want to spoil too much, but the heroes get a much needed assist in the third act by the Big Three AND the Big Four.
Who makes up the ninth member? Oh please have be a cute dog!
“fraid it’s a robot. But the robot is voiced by Rebel Wilson!
You could even get some of the real people to play themselves. Damien Echols recently did great work as Fishbowl Man in The Midnight Gospel. Make in animated and bring in *Todd* MacFarlane too while you’re at it.
Needs more MS-13
That’s like two Hollywood names were thrown in the hopper and ordered to do a project together.
Which is an idea I’d green light for a rom-com, a sitcom, or a reality tv show.
That would seem to line up with the rumor that The Orville was cancelled.
He’s listed as an EP for this project; I don’t see how that could mean anything regarding The Orville.
Hard to say. Seth signed a $200 million development deal with Universal earlier this year, but that wasn’t supposed to affect his existing 20th Century shows (though he doesn’t really showrun the animated ones anymore).
The Orville wasn’t canceled; MacFarlane’s on-record saying that he just thinks that the show’s run its course, and he didn’t want to write a bunch of bad seasons.
maybe that’ll convince someone to give American Dad! a shotHere’s hoping that the underrated, largely ignored underdog of a show that has been on for 15 years will finally find its audience.
The irony there is the second sentence: “they’ll realize that the MacFarlane name really can be a mark of quality” because his involvement with AD is literally just the name and the voice acting. He’s on the record saying that he just reads his lines without getting involved because “doesn’t get the humor.” I will always maintain that that’s the single reason why American Dad is leagues beyond any of his other animated comedies.
MacFarlane is a really good voice actor and singer. It’s just…everything else he needs to stop doing.
I think a not insignificant part of my love for American Dad is that it lets me not hate MacFarlane, which I really want to do, but he usually doesn’t let that happen.
“That brings us to Seth MacFarlane, whose involvement seems… surprising? It’s not that he can’t produce something like this, certainly, it’s just unexpected given pretty much every other thing he’s ever done. This isn’t a wacky sitcom satire, it doesn’t involve singing jazzy standards, and he (hopefully) won’t get to do a funny voice.”What the hell? The man produced the remake of Cosmos. To act like he’s ONLY done comedies is just plain weird.
Thank you Ben.
Is this Seth’s penance for all the racist (or ironic racist) shit in his cartoons and movies for the past two decades?
I feel like he’d have to personally fund reparations for the character of Cleveland alone.
McFarlane did a fantastic job with the new Cosmos. He clearly pursues things he’s passionate about, comedy or not. So hopefully his contribution to this is equally on the mark.
Right? Thank you!!
Look, MacFarlane is a very smart guy. He did what he did to become really freaking rich and give him the power to do pretty much whatever he wants. It’s not like there was a huge demand for Cosmos but he worked to bring it back. He can do quality.
I can’t wait to see what’ll happen once Todd McFarlane enters into the mix!
jez hates macfarlane, so crosspost this.