A Black, Gay billionaire in a starring role?
Looking to match the success of their ever-expanding Riverdale and Arrow universes, The CW recently announced the expansion of its hit Nancy Drew series. According to Deadline, the new series will be titled Tom Swift after a classic book series. In addition, it will star a Black, Gay lead.
This new show will be led by Nancy Drew’s Melinda Hsu Taylor and Noga Landau. Those two will be joined by Cameron Johnson, a gay Black writer known for his work on Empire. The three will act as co-creators, writers, and executive producers.
But what will the show be about? So far, we know that Tom Swift will follow its titular character, a Black, gay, billionaire inventor, as he’s thrown into a world of conspiracy. Faced with the disappearance of his father, Tom Swift will go on a road trip to unravel the truth. But that’s not all. Swift will also fight off an Illuminati-like group that’s determined to stop him. (That way, this show will fit into the Nancy Drew mystery aesthetic but have its own sci-fi twist).
Currently, the script is in development. In the meantime, the Tom Swift character, and whoever will play the role, is expected to appear in an upcoming episode of Nancy Drew’s season two. The pitched idea is that Nancy and Tom’s paths will cross in the midst of Drew investigating a mystery. The two will then clash, as Drew believes the mystery to be supernaturally-based while Tom will believe it to be cosmically paranormal.
While he’s a year or more away from us, we can’t wait to see Tom Swift in action. And though seeing Black, Gay character or a gay male character of color on tv is rare enough, seeing a lead is even more special. Because of that, we’re excited for Tom Swift’s arrival!
Source: Deadline,
