‘Blindspotting’ Spinoff Series from Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs Greenlit at Starz
The world of “Blindspotting” is headed to the small screen: Starz has greenlit a spinoff series based on the 2018 film, following Jasmine Cephas Jones’ character.
Per Starz, the series will center on Ashley, who was nipping at the heels of a middle-class life in Oakland until Miles, her partner of 12 years and father of their son, is suddenly incarcerated, leaving her to navigate a chaotic and humorous existential crisis when she’s forced to move in with Miles’ mother and half-sister.
The half-hour series will be written and executive produced by Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs, who starred, wrote, and produced the original film. Casal will serve as the series’ showrunner and will have a recurring role. Jess Wu Calder and Keith Calder will also executive produce the film alongside Emily Gerson Saines, Ken Lee, and Tim Palen. The series is produced for Starz by Lionsgate Television.
An episode count and prospective release date were not provided.
“Rafael, Daveed and Jasmine created a beautiful film that we believe will translate perfectly into a compelling series for Starz,” Christina Davis, Starz’s president of original programming, said in a statement. “This provocative and powerful narrative couldn’t be more timely, and in picking up the story from Ashley’s perspective, we will be able to shine a light on so many of the important social issues that the characters and the audience continue to grapple with.”
The original “Blindspotting” film was well-received by critics, including IndieWire’s Eric Kohn, who offered particular praise for Diggs’ performance in his review and argued that it offset some of the film’s “bumpier moments.”
“‘Blindspotting’ offers up a handful of such astonishing moments throughout an otherwise straightforward look at two lower-class Oakland pals struggling to find their place in a sea of gentrification,” Kohn said in his review. “Ultimately, the movie belongs to Diggs, a Tony winner for ‘Hamilton’ who comes into his own as a genuine movie star with a fully realized performance that easily outshines the bumpier moments. He’s complemented by his creative partner, Casal, as the pair bring a fascinating chemistry to the uncertainty that defines their lives.”
“Blindspotting” will join a growing slate of Starz original series, including “Outlander,” “American Gods,” and the recently premiered “Power Book II: Ghost.” Starz has been a home to indie movie adaptations and genre-bending half-hour originals. A new installment of “The Girlfriend Experience,” which was inspired by Steven Soderbergh’s independent film of the same name, is also on the way, as is the “John Wick” spinoff series, “The Continental.” Meanwhile, “Blindspotting” will follow in the efficient and well-reviewed steps of Starz’s dramatic “Girlfriend Experience,” horror-comedy “Ash vs. Evil Dead,” and family drama “Vida.”
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