Deadline reports that Showtime has ordered a pilot for a new television series based on the 1999 film, The Wood, which was written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa. His credits also include the films Dope, Brown Sugar, and Talk to Me, as well as episodes of The Chi and The Mandalorian. In collaboration with Famuyiwa’s direction, Justin Hillian (The Chi, Snowfall) will write the pilot and serve as executive producer.
The Wood is a comedy based on the 1999 feature film of the same. The original, which starred Omar Epps, Richard T. Jones and Taye Diggs, followed the lives of three longtime friends over a span of a few decades. Famuyima’s semi-autobiographical film was co-written by Todd Boyd, and also featured Sanaa Lathan, LisaRaye McCoy, and Malinda Williams.
Showtime’s new series hopeful will explore friendship and dating from the distinct perspectives of three young Black men born and raised in Inglewood, Calif., a suburb of Los Angeles. As the city experiences gentrification, the three will have to balance fatherhood, ambition, and loyalty to each other, at a time when their companionship is being tested the most. Set in the present day, new complications, such as social media, are in play for these characters, as well as the loves and lack thereof, in their lives.
While it is unclear when The Wood is set to debut on Showtime, or its cast, the inclusion of Famuyiwa and Hillian gives promise to the future of this series. The Wood’s pilot will be a production of Paramount Television Studios and is also executive produced by David Gale and Van Toffler, for Gunpowder & Sky.
