Project Greenlight has received the green light, again. The docuseries originally produced by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Sean Bailey, and Chris Moore for HBO has been revived by HBO Max with Issa Rae leading the show, which will now focus on the “next generation of talented female filmmakers who are given the chance to direct a feature film.”
HBO Max has given an eight-episode order to its Project Greenlight revival, which will reinvent the original HBO docuseries with a new focus on rising female filmmakers. The series will be led by Issa Rae, who will “appear in every episode as an Executive Producer, providing guidance and mentorship to these aspiring filmmakers.” After the series airs, the finished film made by the filmmakers will premiere on HBO Max.
This is a wise new direction for Project Greenlight, after the previous docuseries — which first aired on HO for two seasons from 2001 to 2003 before moving to Bravo for season 3, and returning for a fourth and final season on HBO in 2015 — received criticism for its handling of diversity. Acclaimed as the Affleck and Damon-led original series was for its depiction of the filmmaking process and for its support of promising new filmmakers, Project Greenlight was still seen as primarily skewing white and male. But with Rae (who has executive produced the Emmy-nominated Insecure as well as films like The Lovebirds) at the helm of the revival and a new focus on female filmmakers, that issue should correct itself.
“At HBO Max, we are committed to providing a platform for diverse, up-and-coming talent,” executive vice president of Non-Fiction at HBO Max, Jennifer O’Connell, said. “Issa is uniquely skilled in this space, and we are thrilled to be partnering with her and Miramax as a promising group of filmmakers is inspired and challenged with their biggest opportunity yet.”
Marc Helwig, Head of Worldwide Television at Miramax added, “By relaunching the iconic PROJECT GREENLIGHT with the brilliant Issa Rae and HBO Max, we continue our efforts to mine the Miramax library and create exciting, groundbreaking new content as well as forge opportunities for a new generation of innovative voices to be heard.”
The new Project Greenlight is produced by HOORAE and Miramax. The series is executive produced by Rae and Montrel McKay through HOORAE, along with Jonathan Berry and Dave Becky through 3 Arts Entertainment. Amanda Klein, SVP of Development, is shepherding the project for Miramax TV. Sara Rastogi serves as a co-executive producer through HOORAE.
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