John Legend and his production company Get Lifted have confirmed they will be executively producing the show and handling all aspects of music and sound. The 36 year old, along with partners Mike Jackson and Ty Stiklorius have teamed up with WGN America and Sony to work on the original thriller series set to air next year.
Underground tells the story of a group of slaves in Georgia who plan a daring escape from the plantation, fighting for their families and their freedom. Kanye West was originally linked to the series, however, Underground’s creators have insisted that John, who won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for the movie Selma, was their first choice.
Recently, Legend told Variety ‘We are excited to join forces with WGN America and Sony and the talented team of writers and producers on this powerful project that we believe will inspire us all. This series has a unique opportunity to speak to the passion and courage of those who risked it all as they raced to freedom. We are honoured to bring our creative vision to this thrilling project.’
‘Underground depicts a raw and revolutionary chapter in the American story. We wanted an artist who could help us find the light through the darkness, and John Legend was a perfect fit,’ said Misha Green and Joe Pokaski, creators and executive producers of Underground. ‘We are beyond excited to be working with John, Mike and Ty at Get Lifted. They stand without peer at the intersection of music and television – we couldn’t think of better producing partners.’
