The Hollywood multi-hyphenate has just been named TV Producer of the Year by The Hollywood Reporter, and her next show, focused on open marriages, will continue to push creative boundaries.
What We Know:
- The working title of the project is Open, and it could be the first show of its kind to take center stage. Waithe discussed the potential new Amazon Studios venture with The Hollywood Reporter:
“I’ve never been in an open marriage, but it’s fascinating to me… We live in a world where, if I told you I cheated on my wife, you would be like, ‘Yeah, that’s the way it goes.’ But if I told you that I’m in an open marriage, it would be as if I told you I’m joining the Church of Scientology.”
- Waithe inked an overall deal with Amazon Studios to bring new content to the platform in 2019. It was a big year for Hillman Grad Productions, founded by Waithe, as they released their first film project, Queen and Slim, and received rave reviews. Hillman Grad Productions was founded in 2018. Their mission is to give a “platform to marginalized storytellers by providing a platform for diverse voices across all mediums”. They seem to be succeeding, as their website boasts about projects on Netflix, BET, Showtime, HBO, and of course Amazon.
- Last month, Waithe was also in the news when Hillman Grad Productions announced their commitment to using intimacy directors on all of their sets. Intimacy direction is a new and growing field in film, wherein an intimacy director is hired to help film any simulated romantic or intimate scene for the screen. The goal is the make the filming process safer for actors, while creating more realistic romance scenes.
There’s no word on when production could start for Open. We can also look forward to Waithe’s first Amazon project, Them: Covenant, a story of a Black couple who moves to an all-white neighborhood in Los Angeles.
