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Get your security blanket ready. Visionary director Steve McQueen has set his sights on the small screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the acclaimed director is developing a drama at HBO along with World War Z writer Matthew Charnahan. The series will focus on a young African American man with a mysterious past, as he experiences life in New York high society.
McQueen’s film 12 Years a Slave has garnered an incredible amount of Oscar buzz in the past couple of months, and is in on a very short list of favorites speculated to win Best Picture at next year’s ceremony. Chiwetel Ejiofor has also garnered considerable praise for his performance as Solomon Northup, a free man who is tricked into losing his freedom, and spends 12 years as a slave in the American South.
The writer/director is a master at really piercing the souls of his audience members. Through his work in films like 12 Years a Slave and Shame, McQueen has become known for his brutal earnestness in exploring the pains and demons of humanity, but the director has also found beauty and grace in human suffering. A premium cable network like HBO would be the perfect place for McQueen to unleash his dark quirks in an unfiltered way. The big question is whether anyone can handle McQueen’s emotional weight on a weekly basis.
