Netflix has signed off on a 10-episode season of one-hour sci-fi drama Raising Dion , which is based on a popular short film about an African-American single mother raising her super-powered son.
Raising Dion , written by Dennis Liu and illustrated by Jason Piperberg, is the story of a woman named Nicole Reese whose husband (played by Michael B. Jordan) passed away, and she must adapt to being a single parent with a twist: Her son has superpowers .
While the short film, which can be viewed below, was originally used to market the comic book created by Liu and Piperberg, it served as a guide to what a live-action television or film might look like. The short film details the struggles of a single parent dealing with a child that has superpowers. Through telekinesis, he makes his milk and cereal float in the air and teleports when his mother attempts to dry him off after a shower. There’s even a funny scene where the young boy shoots electricity out of his hands while cloaked like Star Wars villain Darth Sidious.
Carol Barbee, the executive producer of UnREAL who has worked on shows like Jericho and Touch , will serve as showrunner and executive producer. She’s also written the first episode of the series, which Liu will be directing. Michael B. Jordan, along with Barbee and Liu, will serve as an executive producer through his Outlier Society Productions on the Netflix project, as well MACRO’s Charles D. King and American God’s Michael Green.
Liu decided to create Raising Dion because it was a show that allowed more diverse perspectives to play in the superhero genre. He wanted to see a more diverse representation in film and on television. He believes that MACRO is a great fit for this story because they share the same goals when it comes to representation through television and film.
This venture into television will be MACRO’s first; the multi-platform media company was created to bring more diversity to film and television, according to Deadline .
Cindy Holland, the VP of original content over at Netflix, said that Liu’s vision for the Netflix series is “full of imagination, wonder and adventure, all grounded in the experiences of a modern single mother.”
No release date for Raising Dion has been announced.
[Featured Image by Jerod Harris/Getty Images]
