During a time when it's more important than ever to highlight and learn from the struggles and victories of the black community, it's been announced that Seth MacFarlane and Chadwick Boseman are joining forces as executive producers on a limited series about the Little Rock Nine, which is currently in development at Universal Content Productions (UCP).
Based on the best-selling memoir “A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High” by Carlotta Walls, now known as Carlotta Walls LaNier, the untitled series will take place in 1957 after the milestone Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education. At 14 years old, Walls is among the first black students to attend the all-white Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas. As you can imagine, Walls LaNier had very much ventured into the belly of the beast on that fateful day, and so it should come as no surprise (unfortunately) that her efforts were met with acts of violence, interrogation, and worse. That said, Walls' bravery had suddenly turned her and her fellow black students into civil rights legends.
Pulitzer Prize finalist Eisa Davis will write the series as well as executive produce. It's also worth noting that the series is poised to be as true to its source material as these adaptations tend to get, seeing as Walls LaNier will act as a consultant on the project. This is also MacFarlane's second effort with UCP, after it was announced last week that he is adapting Herman Wouk’s novels “The Winds of War” and “War and Remembrance” as a limited series.