The ball is rolling on the new hourlong drama from rapper/actor Common and producer Lena Waithe (Dear White People), tentatively called The Chicago Project and set to film in the city next week through the end of the month, according to Rich Moskal of the Chicago Film Office.
The pilot, which was written by Waithe and greenlighted by Showtime in August, is being billed as a "coming-of-age story of a young African-American male in which just growing up can be a matter of life and death," according to Deadline. Waithe and Common, who both grew up on the South Side, are executive producers alongside Aaron Kaplan (Mysteries of Laura), Elwood Reid (The Bridge), and director Clark Johnson (Homeland) for Fox 21 Studios.
Filming locations are still to be announced, but Deadline reported last month that the show had cast Aisha Hinds (Under The Dome), Tequan Richmond (Everybody Hates Chris), Alex Henderson (Empire), Sierra McClain (House Of Payne), Olivia Dawson (Empire), and Jason Weaver (The Ladykillers). Study up and keep your eyes peeled.