After nearly six years since HBO’s Project Greenlight had concluded its four-season run in 2015, HBO Max is officially reviving the docuseries with Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Issa Rae (Insecure) at its helm through her production company HOORAE. The streaming service has given an 8-episode series order to the Project Greenlight reboot which is being described as a reinvention of the acclaimed HBO and Miramax series.
In addition, HBO Max has also given out another series order to one of Rae’s upcoming projects which is an unscripted series titled Sweet Life: Los Angeles, which is set to make its debut sometime this summer. According to Vanity Fair, the docuseries will be in the vein of Laguna Beach and The Hills, centering around Black 20-somethings living in L.A.’s tony Baldwin Hills neighborhood.
These projects mark Rae’s latest collaboration with HBO, who have been working together since 2016 with the acclaimed dramedy series Insecure. The multi-hyphenated actress has also recently signed a five-year overall deal with WarnerMedia. She is also currently developing a number of projects for the company including a backyard wrestling series with Dwayne Johnson; and a series adaptation of Serial Productions’ five-part podcast titled Nice White Parents with Adam McKay.
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The Project Greenlight reboot is a docuseries focusing on the next generation of talented female filmmakers who are given the chance to direct a feature film. In addition to executive producing the series, Issa Rae is expected to appear in every episode as she provides guidance and mentorship to these aspiring filmmakers. The finished film will then premiere on HBO Max.
“At HBO Max, we are committed to providing a platform for diverse, up-and-coming talent,” HBO Max’s Executive Vice President for Non-Fiction and Live-Action Family, Jennifer O’Connell said in a statement. “Issa is uniquely skilled in this space, and we are thrilled to be partnering with her and Miramax as a promising group of filmmakers is inspired and challenged with their biggest opportunity yet.”
Miramax’s Head of Worldwide Television, Marc Helwig added, “By relaunching the iconic Project Greenlight with the brilliant Issa Rae and HBO Max, we continue our efforts to mine the Miramax library and create exciting, groundbreaking new content as well as forge opportunities for a new generation of innovative voices to be heard.”
It is executive produced by Rae, Montrel McKay, and Sara Rastogi through their HOORAE banner, along with Jonathan Berry and Dave Becky for 3 Arts Entertainment. Miramax TV’s SVP of Development, Amanda Klein is shepherding the project.
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Sweet Life: Los Angeles gives an honest and unique look into what it means to be young, Black, and in constant pursuit of one’s dreams in the heart of South Los Angeles. The series follows a group of young, strong-willed, ambitious Black friends showcasing their relatable, authentic and sometimes stumbling mid-20s moments as they embrace the joy and struggles of love and family, while building their careers as tastemakers and influencers in the city where they grew up.
“We’re so proud to present a grounded and fun slice of young Black LA life,” Rae said. “We hope the HBO Max audience will relate to and fall in love with this group of friends as much as we have.”
The series is executive produced by Rae, Montrel McKay, Jimmy Fox, Sheri Maroufkhani, Leola Westbrook, Sun de Graaf, Raha Ahmed, and Pyongson “Sunny” Yim. It is produced by HOORAE, Event Media and Morning Dew Pictures with Sara Rastogi and Ashley Calloway serving as producers.
