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Witches Join the Military in New Freeform Series Motherland: Fort Salem
Motherland: Fort Salem has been given a series order on Freeform. The upcoming series imagines an alternate US history in which the witches of Salem, Massachusetts weren't persecuted, but allowed to join the military.
In Eliot Laurence's Motherland: Fort Salem, the Salem Witch Trials didn't play out quite as horrifically as history tells it. In this alternate history, the witches and the US government agree to end the persecution in exchange for witches joining the military and weaponizing their magic. The series is set in present-day America, nearly three centuries since the deal was struck, and it centers around three young witches fresh out of basic training who are preparing to wield their spells in battle. And, aside from this major shift in history, there are still just as many international threats putting these women at serious risk. Starring Taylor Hickson, Jessica Sutton, Amalia Holm, and Demetria McKinney, the series also includes Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, and Kevin Messick as executive producers.
Now, Freeform has officially given Motherland: Fort Salem a series order for ten hour-long episodes, according to Variety. Though little else is known aside from the show's brief synopsis and main cast, the series will present audiences with a United States in which traditional gender roles are swapped. Freeform president Tom Ascheim said of the series:
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“We’re so excited to be able to tell this story rich with female empowerment, complex storytelling and an incredibly creative canon. While set in an alternative universe, Motherland: Fort Salem will continue the authentic and issues-driven storylines that our network is known for, and what our audience has come to expect.”
As for the main cast of characters, the three basic training graduates consist of Raelle (Hickson), Tally (Sutton), and Scylla (Holm). Raelle is a natural rebel who isn't entirely confident about enlisting; Tally is a bit more determined than Raelle and naturally curious; and Scylla is the wild card of the group with a much darker disposition. Anacostia (McKinney) plays their drill sergeant. No other casting details have been released.
If film and TV in the 2000s leaned on zombies and the late 2000s/early 2010s leaned on vampires, then the late 2010s appear to be all about witches. Between shows like Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and A Discovery of Witches, JK Rowling's Wizarding World evolving beyond Harry Potter, and even Robert Zemeckis' adaptation of Roald Dahl's The Witches, Motherland: Fort Salem appears to be one of many new additions to this YA subgenre. And, since the YA genre predominantly consists of remakes or adaptations, it's always exciting to see original content being produced - even when it's simply dialing in on a current trend.
