Lena Waithe Signs New Production Deal With Showtime

Lena Waithe

Lena Waithe Signs New Production Deal With Showtime

Lena Waithe is making boss moves. The Emmy Award winner signed a new deal with Showtime where she will create and develop comedy and drama projects with the network. She will also write and produce the new projects for her production company, Hillman Grad.  Waithe, 34, explained in a statement,

I have been a fan of Showtime for as long as I can remember. They make shows that most networks wouldn’t touch and they’ve never been afraid of taking risks. I look forward to introducing my Showtime family to fresh and exciting new voices. I want to make content that will challenge audiences and take them places they never thought TV could go. It’s going to be a fun ride.

Her first series, The Chi, centers on a group of residents in Chicago’s Southside who become connected by coincidence, who are looking for both connection and redemption. The series stars Jason Mitchell, Jacob Latimore, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Alex Hibbert, Yolonda Ross, Armando Riesco and Tiffany Boone. The Chi had the biggest launch in two years for the network and was renewed for a second season.

Last week, Waithe announced that she will be producing “Queen & Slim” starring Daniel Kaluuya, directed by Melina Matsoukas. The romantic drama film will go into production this January and will focus on a man and woman who after a first date kill a police officer at a traffic stop. They decide to go on the run, faces their consequences of their actions against the backdrop of America’s unstable political and social climate. She will also executive produce and write the TBS series, Twenties.

In 2017, Waithe became the first African American woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing.

By:MJP