Walker Hayes-Inspired Drama Series In Works By Untitled Entertainment; Country Star To Exec Produce

Denise Petski
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: A contemporary scripted drama series inspired by the life of country music sensation Walker Hayes is headed to the small screen. The production arm of Untitled Entertainment has acquired Hayes’ life rights for the project, with Hayes set to executive produce alongside Untitled.

After hustling for nearly 20 years trying to make it in Nashville, Grammy-nominated Hayes’ 2021 song “Fancy Like” went viral after he performed a TikTok dance with his daughter Lela to the song. Since then, Hayes has cemented his place in the country music landscape and as a staple on social media. You can watch a video of the song below.

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Per Untitled, before his success, Walker’s journey was one of great adversity involving addiction, poverty, loss and a crisis of faith all while being a husband to his high school sweetheart and a father to a growing brood of children. Borrowing from the details of his unconventional real-life journey, the series will center on a Walker-type aspiring musician, his marriage and family as they navigate the highs and lows of pursuing musical stardom against insurmountable struggle.

The Black List screenwriter Justin D. James, who has family ties to Nashville, and whose own journey mirrors that of Hayes, is attached to write and executive produce.

“We couldn’t be more excited to be working with a talent of such magnitude in Walker Hayes,” said Laura Notarianni and Michael Rosenberg of Untitled Entertainment. “His powerful story is one that is inspirational, heartfelt and harrowing, showcasing the tenacity of the human spirit. An uplifting series like this is just what audiences need right now.” They added, “Walker and Justin are the ideal creative pairing to dig into the truth of what it’s like to get knocked down and get back up time and time again. To persevere, fight for their families and make their creative dreams come true.”

“My wife Laney and I have had such a wild life and love story,” added Hayes. “We reflect all the time together, wondering how in the world we got here. The amount of brokenness versus beautiful lends itself to endless amounts of stories to explore. I can’t think of an emotion we haven’t felt together. We never could have imagined a company like Untitled would want to create a scripted drama about our life. Their willingness to welcome and include us in the process has been beyond encouraging. We are excited and grateful for this creative opportunity to share us with the world!”

Hayes is repped by Robert Carlton and Marissa Turk at Nashville-based entertainment company SMACK, Aaron Tannenbaum and Alex Sera at WME and Landon Dirickson of Dirickson Law.

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