“The Killing” creator Veena Sud and Netflix are inching closer to a deal. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “the streaming giant is nearing a series pickup for ‘Seven Seconds,’ a racial crime drama.”
The series will explore the tensions and conflicts “between African-American citizens and Caucasian cops in Jersey City, where a teenage African-American boy is critically injured by a cop,” THR writes. Gavin O’Connor (“The Accountant,” “The Americans”) is set to direct the pilot.
The deal between Sud and Netflix has been in the works for a little while, now. O’Connor recently spoke to Collider about the project and mentioned he believes “Seven Seconds” could “probably go for three seasons.”
If and when the deal is finalized, Sud would be the showrunner on the ten-episode series. Sud would also serve as an executive producer, along with O’Connor, Lawrence Bender (“Pulp Fiction”), Kevin Brown (“Trumbo”), and Alex Reznik (“Million Dollar Mind Game”). Fox 21 will produce. Sud is under an overall deal at the studio.
“Seven Seconds” would mark a reunion between Sud and Netflix. The streaming service picked up “The Killing” after AMC cancelled the series. Shortly after the move, Sud spoke about the benefits of working with Netflix: “Each episode is longer because there are no commercial breaks, so the intensity of the storytelling is nonstop, which is something that every storyteller loves,” she told THR.
Sud’s other producing credits include “Cold Case” and the upcoming film “The Salton Sea.”
“Seven Seconds” is the latest in a number of TV projects to tackle storylines inspired by Black Lives Matter. “Empire,” “UnREAL,” “Orange Is the New Black,” “Scandal,” and “black-ish” have all integrated stories related to the movement. And Gina Prince-Bythewood’s upcoming “Shots Fired” will also examine racially-charged shootings.
