‘Forever’: Mara Brock Akil Netflix Series Casts Leads, Regina King To Direct Judy Blume Adaptation

Nellie Andreeva
·1 min read
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Lovie Simone (Manhunt, Selah & The Spades) and Michael Cooper Jr. (On the Come Up) are set as the leads of Forever, Netflix’s upcoming series from Girlfriends and Being Mary Jane creator Mara Brock Akil. Regina King (One Night In Miami) will direct the first episode and executive produce the series, a reimagening of Judy Blume’s influential — and controversial — 1975 novel Forever… for a new generation.

The series adaptation tells the epic love story of two Black teens, Keisha Clark (Simone) and Justin Edwards (Cooper Jr.) exploring romance and their identities through the awkward journey of being each other’s firsts, set in Los Angeles, 2018.

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Simone’s Keisha Clark is a young confident, smart, and fiery track star with clear dreams for life after high school. Cooper Jr.’s Justin Edwards is a young man who is a nerd at heart disguised in an athlete’s body. Justin dreams of playing D1 basketball and achieving more than his successful parents. Love will lead him to who he truly is.

Brock Akil, who serves as showrunner, executive produces alongside Blume, Susie Fitzgerald, Erika Harrison, Sara White, Regina King, Reina King, and Shana Waterman. The project stems from Brock Akil’s overall deal at Netflix.

Simone and Cooper Jr. are both represented by Buchwald, with Simone also repped by BDO Entertainment and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Mandelbaum.

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