The game of streaming is upon us, and it looks like HBO is vying for the throne.
In an effort to become a real contender for the general public’s preference in streaming services, cable channel HBO is releasing info about its upcoming service HBO Max. Not only has HBO Max announced an exclusive streaming deal with Studio Ghibli, but HBO Max has announced plans for its own original programming. This includes a new LGBTQ docuseries.
LGBTQ tv producers Jim Parsons and Greg Berlanti have teamed together with HBO Max to create a 4-part LGBTQ movement docuseries titled Equal, according to Variety. The series will follow several true stories of leaders and activists in the fight for LGBTQ rights.
Among the leaders profiled will be Harry Hay, a prominent gay rights activist; The Daughters of Bilitis, a lesbian civil and political rights organization; Christine Jorgensen, a transgender woman who flew to Europe in 1951 to undergo sex reassignment surgery and transitioned under the public eye; and Bayard Rustin, the gay rights and Black rights leader who organized the March on Washington and acted as an adviser to Martin Luther King, Jr.
Jim Parsons will executive produce the short series through That’s Wonderful Productions and with the help of Todd Spiewak. In addition, Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter of Berlanti Productions will also executive produce. But they’re not all, Scout Productions’ David Collins, Michael Williams, Rob Eric, and Joel Chiodi will also executive produce the project.
“In June, we commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which shepherded in a new era for LGBTQ+ pride,” said Jennifer O’Connell, executive vice president of original non-fiction and kids programming for HBO Max. “While we know the story behind that fateful summer night, there’s a lot of fascinating, untold history of the patriots, artists, and thinkers who paved the way. It’s time to share their heroic tales, and we could not have more perfect partners in Jim Parsons, Greg Berlanti, Jon Jashni and Scout to introduce our HBO Max audience to these historical trailblazers.”
“We are extremely proud to partner with these groundbreaking producers on a subject this important, at a time this critical,” added Mike Darnell, president of unscripted and alternative television at Warner Bros. “What a perfect project to launch Warner Horizon Unscripted Television’s new documentary series unit.”
Source: Variety
