Three powerhouse voices in entertainment are making major moves.
Through his deal with Univeral Studio Group, Jordan Peele is working in collaboration with Monkeypaw Productions, a cutting-edge production company, for Peacock. Tyler Perry and Devon Franklin have formed an alliance at Netflix.
Peele is set to executive produce Monkeypaw Productions’ untitled Black Cowboy docuseries. This series will rewrite a foundational piece of American history, unmasking the forces that erased the identity of the Black Cowboy from frontier history and the present. The series promises to dismantle the whitewashed mythology of the cowboy, taking viewers on a thrilling odyssey that connects to the heart of the resurgence of Black cowboy culture that we see today in music, art, fashion and film. Award-winning producer Keith McQuirter is attached as showrunner, executive producer and director.
Monkeypaw President Win Rosenfeld, Jamal Watson, Senior Vice President of Development and Production and Keisha Senter, Senior Vice President of Culture and Impact, are all part of Monkeypaw’s inaugural documentary series. Emmy-winning documentary producer Liz Yale Marsh will executive produce through her overall deal with UTAS. Sacha Jenkins will also serve as executive producer.
Tyler Perry Studios and Franklin have formed a partnership with Netflix to produce faith-based films under a multi-year and multi-picture first-look deal. According to a release, the films will be produced by Franklin and Perry in conjunction with Tyler Perry Studios.
R&B, written by Mike Elliott (Brown Sugar) and Cory Tynan (Play’d), is the first film under the new partnership. It is a modern-day retelling of the story of Ruth and Boaz, one of the most iconic love stories in the Bible. Set in Tennessee, it tells the story of a young woman who escapes the Atlanta music scene to care for an elderly widowed woman and, in the process, finds the love of her life while gaining the mother she never had.
