Showtime is developing a limited series about entertainment legend Lena Horne.
According to Variety, the series is currently titled Blackbird: Lena Horne and America, an homage to Horne’s favorite poem “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.”
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The first few episodes were co-written by Horne’s granddaughter, Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman with both also executive producing.
“Bringing my grandmother’s story to the screen required a multi-generational effort,” said Lumet.
“Grandma passed her stories to my mother, who now passes them to me, so I may pass them to the children of our family. Lena’s story is so intimate and at the same time, it’s the story of America – America at its most honest, most musical, most tragic and most joyous. It’s crucial now. Especially now. She was the love of my life.”
Lumet, an award-winning screenwriter, is one of several women to accuse hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons of sexual assault.
The actress and civil rights activist died in 2010 at the age of 92 but her legacy remains prominent.
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Per Variety, “The series will span 60 years of Horne’s life, from dancing at the Cotton Club when she was 16, through World War II and stardom in the MGM years, McCarthyism, the civil rights movement, and her triumphant return to Broadway.
It will also delve into her relationships with luminaries like Paul Robeson, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Joe Louis, Billie Holiday, Hattie McDaniel, Ava Gardner, and Orson Welles.”
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