Kerry Washington to Star in, Produce Hulu Drama 'Old City Blues'

Gore Verbinski is attached to direct the Makeready take on the Boom! Studios graphic novel.


Kerry Washington is expanding her relationship with Hulu.


The Scandal grad, who will next star in and executive produce Hulu's Little Fires Everywhere, has signed on to topline and exec produce Old City Blues for the streamer. The drama, which is in development at Hulu, is based on the Boom! Studios graphic novel. Black List screenwriter Arash Amel is adapting the TV take, with Oscar winner Gore Verbinski (Rango) attached to direct, should the project move forward.


Published in 2011, Old City Blues was written by Giannis Milonogiannis. Set in the year 2048, the story takes place in New Athens, on the ruins that once was known as Greece but is now crawling with high-tech criminals including smugglers, drug dealers and corrupt politicians and powerful corporations. The potential series revolves around Solano, Thermidor and the rest of the New Athens Special Police, who endeavor to keep the city in check after the cyborg founder of a tech company is found dead. (It's unclear just what role Washington will take on as the project remains in development.)


A writers room for the potential series has already been opened with Chris Black (Cinemax's Outcast) set to serve as showrunner and exec produce alongside Amel; Allison Davis (Underground) will pen the script. Washington will exec produce alongside her Simpson Street exec vp development and production Pilar Savone. Verbinski will also exec produce via his Blink Wink Productions. Boom! Studios president of development Stephen Christy and CEO Ross Richie will oversee for the company.


Entertainment One will handle international distribution on the series, which is from Brad Weston's Makeready, as the former serves as the latter's top investor. Makeready's Scott Nemes will oversee for the company and exec produce alongside Weston.


Old City Blues extends Washington's relationship with Hulu, where she next stars opposite Reese Witherspoon in Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere. Both Washington and Witherspoon are exec producing the straight-to-series limited series, which landed at Hulu following a multiple-outlet bidding war.


The deal falls outside of Washington's overall pact with ABC Studios, for whom she starred on Scandal.


For Boom! Studios, the deal comes after the company recently hired Averie Huffine as vp development to oversee its expansion in television. Beyond Marvel and DC, Boom! Studios has the largest library of comic book IP.