The Netflix original series will follow in the film’s footsteps by centering on a group of students of color at a prestigious and predominantly white university. In the movie, oft-ignored racial tensions are revealed by Sam (played by Tessa Thompson), the author of a self-published book and host of a radio show called Dear White People. However, things escalate when a campus group throws a blackface party, which opens up an exploration of racial identity.
Dear White People clearly resonated with audiences. Not only was it crowdfunded, it earned screenwriter and director Justin Simien an award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. He has signed on to write the series and direct the first episode, so fans can presumably expect a lot of what they liked to be preserved.
“During the film’s release, I had the pleasure to speak with hundreds of students and faculty across a variety of college campuses dealing with these very issues in real time,” said Simien, as reported by THR. “I’m so grateful to have this platform — not only to give a voice to those too often unheard in our culture, but to also tell great stories from new points of views.”
At this point, it’s not clear if he’ll be joined by any of the movie’s cast, which also includes Tyler James Williams, Teyonah Parris, Brandon Bell, and Dennis Haysbert. Executive producers Stephanie Allain Bray and Julia Lebedev, who worked on the film, will work alongside Devon Shepard (House of Lies).
Dear White People is expected to premiere in 2017.
