Issa Rae, Kumail Nanjiani and Gina Prince-Bythewood are mentoring the next generation of female directors in the upcoming season of Project Greenlight, which has resulted in the new Max film, Gray Matter.
All 10 episodes of the upcoming season will debut July 13 on Max, along with the premiere of Gray Matter, which is from the season’s selected director Meko Winbush.
The season will follow Winbush’s journey of making Gray Matter, while getting star advice along the way. Also notable is how this season is a reboot of sorts for Project Greenlight, which famously faced controversy in 2015 with its treatment of producer Effie Brown. During her season, she advocated for hiring a white woman and a Vietnamese-American man as co-directors on that season’s film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. But Matt Damon (who starred as a mentor-host of the series alongside Ben Affleck), said that the diversity should only be in the casting, not behind the camera. Also, as Damon himself admitted, the majority of the judges were white men.
This time, however, Rae, Nanjiani and Prince-Bythewood are taking over the reins, reflecting the growing conversation and movement around creating a more diverse and inclusive Hollywood landscape.
According to the description of the series:
A reinvention of the critically acclaimed original Miramax Television and HBO series, PROJECT GREENLIGHT focuses on the next generation of talented female filmmakers who are given the chance to direct a feature film. Executive Producer Issa Rae along with Kumail Nanjiani and Gina Prince-Bythewood serve as mentors throughout the season. PROJECT GREENLIGHT pulls back the curtain on the filmmaking process from start to finish, offering a unique, 360-look into selected director Meko Winbush’s experience as she directs her first feature film, GRAY MATTER.
Rae’s HOORAE produces the series with Alfred Street Industries, 3 Arts Entertainment and Miramax Television. Rae and HOORAE’s Montrel McKay executive produce Nanjiani, Prince-Bythewood and HOORAE’s Jax Clark, with HOORAE’s Sara Rastogi co-executive producing. Jonathan Berry and Dave Becky of 3 Arts Entertainment also executive produce. Jane Lipsitz, Dan Cutforth, Dan Volpe, Nan Strait, Zoe Jackson, Asabi Lee and Alexandra Lipsitz of Alfred Street Industries executive produce. Dunia Rodriguez and Scott Pearlman of Alfred Street Industries co-executive produce. Michaela Qvale supervises for Miramax Television.
Gray Matter is a sci-fi film about a woman named Ayla and her daughter Aurora, both of whom have superhuman powers. “As Ayla attempts to train Aurora how to navigate these abilities, a tragic incident finds Aurora in control of her fate, and forces Ayla to confront the truth of her past,” according to the logline. The film stars Jessica Frances Dukes, Mia Aisaac and Garret Dillahunt.
The film is written by Phil Gelatt and produced by Catchlight Studios’ Jeanette Volturno, Yolanda T. Cochran and Jessica Malanphy. Rae, McKay and Rastogi executive produce through HOORAE. Berry and Becky also executive produce through 3 Arts Entertainment alongside Celia Khong, Nichole Roberts and Miramax Television’s Bill Block and Marc Helwig. HOORAE’s Jax Clark co-produces.
Check out the trailers for both Project Greenlight and Gray Matter below.
