THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: FX is going big for its next limited series.
The cable network has greenlit Fosse/Verdon, an eight-episode limited series from Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda starring Oscar winner Sam Rockwell and four-time Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams. The series marks a major swing for FX after the cable network’s top producer — Ryan Murphy — exited his overall deal with corporate sibling 20th Century Fox TV for a $300 million pact with Netflix.
Based on Sam Wasson’s Fosse biography, the series tells the story of the romantic and creative partnership between Bob Fosse (Rockwell) and Gwen Verdon (Williams). He was a filmmaker and one of theater’s most influential chorographers and directors. She was the greatest Broadway dancer of all time. Together, they changed the face of American entertainment — at a perilous cost. The series will feature Fosse’s choreography and explore the hidden corners of showbiz, the price of pursuing greatness and the suffering inflicted in the name of art.
Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen) will serve as showrunner and penned the pilot episode, which will be directed by Hamilton’s Thomas Kail. Kail, Levenson, Miranda, Rockwell, Williams and George Stelzner will exec produce the series, which is a co-production between Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions. Actress, dancer and producer Nicole Fosse, the daughter of Fosse and Verdon, will serve as co-exec producer and will oversee for The Verdon Fosse Legacy. Andy Blankenbuehler will co-produce the series. Production begins in the fall for a 2019 debut.
“My mother and father have one of the greatest love stories ever known,” Nicole Fosse said. “They were extremely complex people with an indestructible bond, loyalty and trust that endured both fantasy and reality. Finally, we have a creative team with the talent and wisdom to tell the story.”
The series comes as FX has been a dominant player in the limited series category, where the John Landgraf-led cable network has earned 204 nominations and 34 wins for series including American Horror Story, Fargo, American Crime Story and Feud.
“We are over the moon about this dream team we’ve assembled for this incredible series,” said FX original programming president Nick Grad. “Tommy, Steven and Lin are the perfect team to tell the story of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon, and we’re so thrilled to have Sam and Michelle playing these iconic roles.”
For Fox 21, the series is part of a larger push for cable and streaming as part of the Bert Salke-led studio. “Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon’s story is one of a fascinating, passionate love affair that gave birth to some truly remarkable cultural achievements, and to this day it has been largely untold,” he said. “In the capable hands of Steven, Tommy and Lin, with the vital creative input and imprimatur of their only daughter Nicole, this series is going to be a compelling look at these two icons as portrayed by the enormously talented Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams. We’re very excited.”
Fosse/Verdon reunites Kail with Miranda following their collaborations on Hamilton and In the Heights. Said Kail, Levenson and Miranda in a joint statement: “Bob Fosse ignited a revolution in American dance, theater and film. But, in contrast to the well-worn myth of the visionary artist working in solitude, Fosse’s work would not have been possible without Gwen Verdon, the woman who helped to mold his style — and make him a star. We are honored to work with the incredible team at FX and Fox 21, and these two extraordinary actors, to tell the story of this remarkable couple, and the complicated, fascinating relationship between them.”