Complete Coverage: Upfronts 2016
Lifetime is bringing its various platforms together under a united effort it calls “The Fempire,” which is “dedicated to entertaining and engaging the next generation of feminists,” said the network. New projects are coming from Selena Gomez, Janet Jackson, Serena Williams and Ronda Rousey.
Gomez is producing a scripted drama inspired by the pop singer’s life. Jackson will produce a movie about a 1920s New York mobster with the working title Queenie. Williams will produce the film Sister Dance, about the dance competition the tennis star hosts with her sister, Venus.
The fighter Rousey, meanwhile, signed a three-picture deal with Lifetime centered on the theme of empowerment.
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Scripted series in the works include Sea Change, based on the YA novel, and A Midsummer’s Nightmare, an anthology concept based on Shakespeare’s stories.
Unscripted series include Fashion Inc. and Gold Medal Families.
The Amazon comedy Catastrophe, about a business trip fling in London that leads to love, marriage and a baby, makes its linear TV debut in early 2017. Twelve episodes of the series exist.
“Lifetime will expand its brand into a multi-platform destination with an aggressive investment in short-form digital content that will engage and entertain our viewers 24/7,” said Liz Gateley, executive VP and head of programming. “With content and conversations curated around the fourth wave of feminism, The Fempire will be a place where women come to share videos and conversations, connect with friends, learn new things and most importantly, be entertained.”
