EGOT winner Viola Davis and producer Julius Tennon have inked a first-look deal with Universal Global Television for their co-founded production company, JuVee Productions. Under this new partnership, JuVee will develop and produce series for the studio across all platforms, beginning with the romantic drama series ‘Pawn,’ an adaptation of an original short story by bestselling author Kennedy Ryan (Before I Let Go).
The series follows Gina Jones, who agrees to become a “pawn” for the St. Louis crime family, the Rossis, to save her ailing grandmother. Her mission requires infiltrating their rivals, the Norths, by getting close to heir apparent Drayden, who also happens to be her new boss. But when her fake connection to Drayden turns into real desire, Gina must outmaneuver both families’ secrets and threats to transition from pawn to Queen.
Davis and Tennon will executive produce the series alongside bestselling author Kennedy Ryan and JuVee Productions’ Head of TV Andrew Wang, with Chantelle M. Wells (Daredevil: Born Again, Yellowjackets) serving as executive producer and penning the adaptation.
Davis and Tennon commented on the new partnership, saying, “From our first meeting together, we felt uniquely connected on how we plan to bring empowering and fearless voices to the screen. We have long been fans of Kennedy Ryan since reading her simmering ‘Before I Let Go’ and Chantelle Wells has worked on some of the most iconic shows of the last decade, carving out her power as a storyteller who is willing to push the boundaries of expectations. To be able to work with these powerhouses to bring ‘Pawn’ to life with UGT speaks directly as to why we created JuVee.”
A production timeline and additional casting details for ‘Pawn’ are expected to be announced at a later date.
–Dominique Young // @heyyydommm