Over the course of her highly fruitful career, Sandra Bullock’s name has become synonymous with success. This makes an upcoming partnership with Amazon, John Legend, and Akiva Goldsman all the more exciting. As discussed in an article from The Hollywood Reporter, the team has plans to develop a musical dramedy that’s based loosely on Bullock’s college years. Bullock attended East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, and she graduated with a BFA in Drama in 1987.
Consequently the project, presently untitled, will be set in the deep South in the 1980s. It will follow a woman who rejects the status quo in favor of love, community, and her own sense of self. Not only will the program address oppressive cultural norms indicative of its setting, it will also explore the drag scene and AIDS epidemic while exploring the lives of band members who are willing to risk anything in order to be themselves.
The idea reportedly grew from conversations between Bullock and Goldsman, who is known for her work on Star Trek: Discovery, and Amazon’s Dark Tower. Goldsman then enlisted Marja-Lewis Ryan, the current showrunner of Showtime’s The L Word: Generation Q, to help develop the project. Moving forward, Ryan will act as the untitled project’s consulting producer. Meanwhile Bullock, Legend, and Goldsman will serve as executive producers. They will be joined by Mick Jackson and Greg Lessans. K.C. Perry, known for The Originals and Constance, has been hired to write the script.
Legend was initially recruited alongside his business, Get Lifted Film Co. to help curate music for the show, which will span multiple genres including ‘80’s pop, opera, and gospel.
Bullock herself has not executive produced a television series since her work on ABC’s George Lopez, which aired in the mid-2000’s. Recently, the actress executive produced Bird Box, in keeping with her history of producing other feature films in which she also starred.
Only time will tell whether or not the upcoming show will rank alongside other critically acclaimed Amazon originals such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Bosch, Carnival Row, Hanna, and Homecoming. Amazon is in the process of developing a number of new original series, including Panic, The Wilds, Upload, and an anthology series entitled Modern Love.