Tony Winner George C. Wolfe to Pen/Direct New Starz Series STORYVILLE
By: Caryn Robbins
Starz has announced the series development of STORYVILLE which is set in New Orleans during the turn of the 20th century where prostitution was decriminalized and an exceedingly vibrant, hedonistic, celebratory subculture emerged and fueled the birth of jazz. Award-winning film and theatre Writer/Director George C. Wolfe (Nights in Rodanthe, Lackawanna Blues, "Lucky Guy") will serve as screenwriter and director with Colin Callender's Playground Entertainment producing the series, led by Scott Huff, Vice President of Development and Production.
"We're glad to be working in partnership again with Colin Callender and Playground Entertainment on this series and with one of Broadway's most respected producers and directors, George C. Wolfe for the first time. His love and expertise in this particular world will allow us to take viewers back to turn-of-the-century New Orleans during the birth of jazz in the midst of profound corruption," said Starz Managing Director Carmi Zlotnik. "Storyville" is based on an original idea by George C. Wolfe who won three Tony Awards® for the 1992 Broadway musical "Jelly's Last Jam" about Jelly Roll Morton whose career began in the "Storyville" district. Wolfe's theatre credits include directing Nora Ephron's Tony-nominated "Lucky Guy" starring Tom Hanks in his Broadway debut and winning a Tony for his work on "Angels in America". Wolfe is repped by CAA. About StarzStarz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global media and entertainment company with operating units that provide premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com.
Playground was founded in 2012 by Callender, and is committed to producing quality drama for the screen and the stage bringing together the finest US and UK talent from the worlds of theatre, film, and television. Callender won his first Emmy for the television adaptation of the RSC's The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby and, as president of HBO Films, was responsible for an unprecedented award-winning slate of movies and mini-series. Playground is currently in post-production with Company Pictures on the six-part miniseries adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall starring Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis, Claire Foy and Jonathan Pryce set to debut on BBC and Masterpiece in early 2015. It is also partnered with Charlie Pattinson's New Pictures on The Missing the eight part thriller for the BBC and Starz.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos
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