HBO to Co-Produce Michaela Coel's Upcoming Series About Dating and Sexual Consent
The showrunner's latest, "January 22," is described as "fearless, frank and provocative."
HBO has signed on to co-produce an upcoming series by Michaela Coel about contemporary dating life and sexual consent, Deadline reports.
The show titled January 22nd was first announced via the BBC last August. It was written by and will star Coel as the protagonist Arabella Essiedu, a "self-assured, care-free Londoner with a group of great friends, a holiday fling turned aspirational boyfriend in Italy and a burgeoning writing career. But when she is spiked with a date-rape drug, every element of her life and identity is called into question," as described in Deadline.
A synopsis from last year reads:
Set in London, where gratification is only an app away, the story centers on Arabella (Coel) whose raw and personal experience of consent sits at the heart of the story. Through Arabella we meet a group of fictional friends and colleagues whose sexual adventures frequently collide with a world in which new codes of sexual practice are emerging.
The show's cast, which features several young up-and-coming actors, has also recenlty been announced. The ensemble includes Weruche Opia, Paapa Essiedu, Aml Ameen, Adam James, Sarah Niles and Ann Akin, who play characters within Arabella's circle of friends. Opia, for instance, plays Terry Pratchard, her best friend, described as "a struggling actor but always hopeful her career's about to pop." While Essiedu plays Kwame Acheampong, "the best male friend to Arabella and Terry. He's an exercise class teacher and Grindr regular."
Production has begun in London and the show will premiere in 2020. "We're incredibly lucky to have pulled together such a talented cast to bring these scripts to life and I look forward to sharing this work with you all next year," said Coel.
Last year, the Chewing Gum creator, starred in the Netflix original musical Been So Long alongside Arinzé Kene.
