‘Hoodlum’ TV Remake & ‘The Emperor of Ocean Park’ Adaptation From John Wells Leads MGM+ Development Slate

MGM+, formerly Epix, unveiled its programming lineup and development slate that includes a new John Wells drama based on a Stephen L. Carter novel, a period drama about Harlem crime boss Stephanie St. Clair, based on an MGM movie, and a docuseries about the disco era.

The newly rebranded premium linear channel and streaming service will launch on January 15 in conjunction with the season three premiere of Godfather of Harlem starring and executive produced by Forest Whitaker and created by Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein.

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The development slate includes scripted series The Emperor of Ocean Park, Hoodlum, based on the 1997 movie starring Laurence Fishburne, Tim Roth and Andy Garcia, Earth Abides, based on a George R. Stewart book, Ark, based on Stephen Baxter’s books and Kevin Kline comedy American Classic, which was previously announced. See full details below.

These series will join previously greenlit series Hotel Cocaine and San Francisco Sounds (working title) in MGM+’s new lineup. Hotel Cocaine, a crime thriller executive produced by Brancato, will enter production in May in the Dominican Republic, and is scheduled to premiere next winter. San Francisco Sounds, a two-part documentary series that tracks the history of the San Francisco music scene from 1965 to 1975.

It has also renewed Billy The Kid for a second season and picked up the second season of BBC war drama Rogue Heroes.

Here’s the new slate:

The Emperor of Ocean Park (scripted) – From John Wells Productions and Warner Bros. Television, The Emperor of Ocean Park is a suspenseful take on Stephen L. Carter’s best-selling novel. Set in the worlds of D.C. politics, Ivy League academia, and the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, the series centers on Talcott Garland’s quiet life as an Ivy League law professor whose world is shattered when his father, Judge Oliver Garland, dies of an apparent heart attack. The nature of the judge’s death is questioned by Tal’s sister, Mariah, a former journalist and constant conspiracy theorist, who believes that the judge, a former failed Black nominee to the Supreme Court, met with foul play. Sherman Payne is the writer, with Damian Marcano attached to direct.

Hoodlum (scripted) – Based on the 1997 MGM film written by Chris Brancato, this drama series set in the 1930s follows the true story of Harlem numbers queen Stephanie St. Clair’s rise to prominence and mentorship of Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson. MGM+ Studios is developing, and Brancato and Monica Macer are co-creating and executive producing.

Earth Abides (scripted) – When a plague of unprecedented virulence sweeps the globe, the human race is all but wiped out. In the aftermath, as the great machine of civilization slowly and inexorably breaks down, only a few shattered survivors remain to struggle against the slide into barbarism … or extinction. Based on the novel by George R. Stewart, which is published by Harper Voyager, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, MGM+ Studios is developing with Michael Phillips, Juliana Maio, and Kearie Peak attached as executive producers.

American Classic (scripted) – A half-hour comedy about a man desperately trying to save himself, his family, and his hometown in the only way he knows how—by putting on a show. Broadway star and notorious narcissist Richard Bean (Kevin Kline) suffers a spectacular public meltdown, and decides to return home to the family-run theater where he first became aware of his own brilliance. When he arrives, he’s shocked to find that his brother (Jon Tenney), and his brother’s wife (who also happens to be his former lover), have turned his temple of art into a dinner theater—with the emphasis on dinner. Michael Hoffman, Bob Martin, Leslie Urdang, Kline, Anthony Bregman, and Miriam Mintz are attached as executive producers. American Classic is being developed as a co-production between MGM+ Studios and Anonymous Content’s AC Studios.

Ark (scripted) – It’s 2030, the oceans have risen rapidly, and soon, the entire planet will be submerged. But the discovery of another life-sustaining planet light-years away gives hope to those who remain alive. Only a few will be able to make the generations-long journey, and those who don’t make the cut face a watery death. Based on the books by Stephen Baxter, the series is in development as a co-production between MGM+ Studios and Anonymous Content’s AC Studios.

Hollywood Black — Based on the book by historian Donald Bogle, this four-part docuseries tells the epic story of the actors, writers, directors, and producers who fought for their place on the page, behind the camera, on the screen, and in the credits. Culture Machine’s Justin Simien (Dear White People, Bad Hair) and Kyle Laursen, Significant Productions’ Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi (Godfather of Harlem), and RadicalMedia’s Dave Sirulnick, Stacey Reiss, and Jon Kamen (Summer of Soul) will all serve as executive producers. Simien and Jeffrey Schwartz (Tab Hunter Confidential, I Am Divine) are set to direct.

Hot Stuff (docuseries) – A four-part docuseries that dives into the disco era. Oscar-nominated documentary studio XTR (They Call Me Magic) will be producing the series, while David Friendly and Lesley Chilcott are attached as executive producers.

The Devil Within (docuseries) – This four-part, true-crime docuseries is based on the hit Cavalry Audio podcast The Devil Within, which follows the mysterious murder of Betty Ann Sullivan during the height of the Satanic Panic. Executive produced by Eli Roth with executive producers Dirk Hoogstra and Nicole Sorrenti for Half Yard Productions, a North Road Company.

Wonderland Murders & the Secret History of Hollywood (docuseries) – When best-selling crime novelist Michael Connelly discovered that Scott Thorson, best known as Liberace’s lover and author of the tell-all Behind the Candelabra, held the keys to the infamous Wonderland Murders, he only had one problem: Thorson’s stories sounded too unbelievable to be true. As the stories got weirder and wilder, and Thorson’s own “nine lives” stretched beyond the Wonderland Murders themselves, Connelly (Lincoln Lawyer, Bosch, Bosch: Legacy) executive produces the four-episode documentary series alongside Jen Casey and Nick Gilhool for Miziker Content; Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman for The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC), a part of Sony Pictures Television; and Rick Jackson. Alison Ellwood (The Go-Go’s, How to Change Your Mind, Laurel Canyon) will direct as well as executive produce.

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