HBO and the BBC are set to co-produce the ten-episode drama series “First Day on Earth” starring and written by multi-award winner Michaela Coel (“Chewing Gum” and HBO’s “I May Destroy You”). Made by Various Artists Limited (“Juice,” “Such Brave Girls”) for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, Coel will also serve as an executive producer on the 10-part series, made in association with A24. Filming is scheduled to begin next year.
In the series, British novelist Henri (Michaela Coel) is stuck. Work has dried up, her relationship is going nowhere. So when she's offered a job on a film in Ghana, West Africa - her parents’ homeland, where her estranged father lives - she can't resist the chance to reconnect with him and the country of her heritage. But when she arrives neither the job nor her father turn out the way she expected, and soon Henri has to deal with danger and hypocrisy, form new friendships, lose her illusions, and create a new sense of identity - one that might leave her stronger, but could also break her.
Amy Gravitt, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO & Max Comedy Series, said: “Michaela’s words have the ability to transport the reader like no other. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue the conversation that began with ‘I May Destroy You,’ alongside our close collaborators at VAL, A24 and the BBC. With Henri as our guide, First Day on Earth’ is as lyrical as it is visceral in its excavation of the idea of home.”
Michaela Coel, star, writer and executive producer, added: “I am delighted to be working with VAL, HBO and the BBC again, and to partner with A24; thanks to all of their combined taste, care and expertise, I feel our show is in great hands. First Day on Earth’ is another very personal story for me which I hope will engage viewers from all over the world, and I can’t wait for audiences to go on Henri’s journey with her.”
Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, stated: “Michaela is one of those exceptional ‘I May Destroy You’ is one of the reasons I wanted to join the BBC! In First Day on Earth,’ Michaela has created another unmissable series - truly original, heartfelt, hilarious, poetic storytelling and told in a way that only Michaela can. I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”
Phil Clarke and Robert Troni, Various Artists Limited (VAL) executive producers, concluded: “We’re delighted and feel extremely lucky that Michaela chose to bring her brilliant new show to us, after the extraordinary experience we had working together on ‘I May Destroy You.’ Yet again, Michaela delivers a highly original, singular story that explores the relationship between England and Ghana via a second generation British-Ghanaian woman who takes up the opportunity to return to the homeland of her parents and finds herself encountering a cast of memorable characters and experiences that force her to face some painful home truths. But as ever with Michaela, it is by turns shocking, funny and unforgettable, and done in her inimitable style.”
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