Nicole Kassell is set to reimagine another beloved story. Her work on HBO’s adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novel “Watchmen” scored her two Emmy nods and a win, and now she’s signed on helm the pilot episode of Amazon’s live-action “She-Ra” series should it move forward. Variety broke the news.
The project would mark the first live-action adaptation of the She-Ra character, who has appeared in the animated film ”He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword,” the animated series “She-Ra: Princess of Power,” and the more recent and similarly-titled Netflix animated series “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.”
With episodes of over a dozen series under her belt, Kassell’s small screen directing credits include “Claws,” “The Americans,” and “Better Call Saul.” She made her feature directorial debut with 2004 Sundance title “The Woodsman.”
In 2020 Kassell won an Outstanding Limited Series Emmy for “Watchmen” and received a nomination for directing its pilot, “It’s Summer and We’re Running Out of Ice.” The episode depicts the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, which saw a white mob killing hundreds of Black residents and decimating a prosperous Black neighborhood. “It was the hardest thing I have ever done technically and emotionally to actually recreate this historic massacre that has not been taught or shown before,” Kassell has said. “The responsibility felt enormous to be truthful and do the story justice but also how to take care of the cast and crew, both physically and emotionally in the filming of it because we’re asking people to recreate these horrific events.”