Regina King is ready to jump back into the director’s chair as she’s signed on to take the helm for the first episode of Mara Brock Akil’s heavily anticipated upcoming Netflix series, “Forever.”
According to Variety, the series, an adaptation of Judy Blume’s 1975 book of the same name will star Lovie Simone (“Greenleaf”, “Manhunt”) and Michael Cooper Jr.(On The Come Up) in what’s described as “an epic love story of two Black teens exploring romance and their identities through the awkward journey of being each other’s firsts, set in Los Angeles, 2018.”
Simone’s character Keisha Clark is a “young, confident, smart and fiery track star with clear dreams for life after high school,” while Cooper portrays Justin Edwards, “a young man who is a nerd at heart disguised in an athlete’s body.” Though his immediate dream is to play D1 basketball, Justin ultimately wants to exceed his wildly successful parents. “Love,” per the series description, “will lead him to who he truly is.”
“Forever” has been a longtime coming since first being given the green light by Netflix in 2022. It will serve as the first series under Brock Akil’s multi-project deal with the streaming giant. In addition to creating the series and doing the television adaptation, Brock Akil will also serve as showrunner and executive produce alongside Blume and King.
King last directed 2020’s One Night In Miami but the 53 year-old multi-hyphenate star isn’t resting on her laurels. Her next venture will see her directing another Netflix series created by legendary producer David E. Kelley called “A Man in Full” starring Jeff Daniels and Diane Lane.
