This is going to be good!
The popular 1999 film The Wood is set to be adapted into a television series for Showtime, The Grio reports.
The Wood, a 1999 film that tells the coming-of-age story around three young Black men growing up in Inglewood, California is getting a reboot, being turned into a television series for Showtime. The original film starred Omar Epps, Richard T. Jones and Taye Diggs as three lifelong friends who reflect back on their lives and love stories coming up in the 80s. The story centers around Diggs’ character who is having some hesitation before his wedding day.
The film’s cultural impact is unquestionable, one of the few positive carefree movies about young Black boys. Fan Derrick Morris spoke about the movie’s significance in a previous interview, saying, “I think it’s just really relatable with the whole ‘macking and hanging’ thing as a moniker for their brotherhood because that’s really what young dudes are taught at that age: playing basketball, hanging with your friends, and being with girls. It’s really like a worry-free Black childhood movie.”
The new television series is taking the same essence with an updated twist of the film for a newer generation.
“The Wood is an honest look at friendship and dating from the perspective of three young Black males born and raised in the gentrifying L.A. suburb of Inglewood, fondly referred to by locals as the City of Champions. The trio’s struggles to balance fatherhood, ambition and loyalty force them to question if they are growing apart…or closer together. With a knowing nod back to the characters of the 1999 film on which it is based, this romantic comedy showcases the humor and heart of young Black men and women trying to navigate life, love and likes on the ‘Gram,” a series synopsis reads.
Showtime approved a pilot series for creators Rick Famuyiwa and Justin Hillian. Famuyiwa based the original film loosely on his life, with a star studded cast including Sanaa Lathan, LisaRaye McCoy and De’Aundre Bonds. The film was made on a $6 million budget, grossing $25M at the box office.
Famuyiwa said it was important for him to show a different side of Los Angeles, and a different narrative of Black youth.
“The thing you gotta understand about LA is that everything is suburbia…I would be lying if I said there isn’t a negative element in the city, but I would say it’s no different than any other city. You come across gangs and you come across negative things – but it’s like everywhere else, if that’s what you gravitate towards and that’s what you want to do, you’re gonna find trouble no matter what you do. But we were never into that. My group of friends were never into that…Hopefully, [anyone] can look at these guys and relate to them. You can say, ‘I was just as nervous at the dance as this guy was.’ Then you can kind of break down some of those misconceptions and realize our experiences are universal no matter where you grow up,” said Famuyiwa.
No word yet on when The Wood series will begin production and no casting decisions have been made but we can’t wait!
Photo Courtesy of Paramount