FX has today ordered eight episodes of the original limited series Fosse/Verdon starring Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea). Production will begin this fall for a 2019 debut.
Based on Sam Wasson's biography Fosse, the series tells the story of the romantic and creative partnership between Bob Fosse (Rockwell) and Gwen Verdon (Williams). He was a filmmaker and one of theater's most influential choreographers and directors. She was the greatest Broadway dancer of all time. Together, they changed the face of American entertainment - at a perilous cost. The series will feature Fosse's choreography and explore the hidden corners of showbiz, the price of pursuing greatness and the suffering inflicted in the name of art.
Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen) wrote the premiere, which will be directed by Thomas Kail (Hamilton, Grease: Live). They will executive produce with Rockwell, Williams, Lin-Manuel Miranda and George Stelzner. Nicole Fosse, the daughter of Fosse and Verdon, will serve as a co-executive producer. Andy Blankenbuehler will co-produce. FX Productions, Fox 21 Television Studios and The Verdon Fosse Legacy will produce.
"We are over the moon about this dream team we've assembled for this incredible series," said Nick Grad," President of Original Programming, FX. "Tommy, Steven and Lin are the perfect team to tell the story of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon, and we're so thrilled to have Sam and Michelle playing these iconic roles."
"Bob Fosse ignited a revolution in American dance, theater and film," said Kail, Levenson and Miranda. "But, in contrast to the well-worn myth of the visionary artist working in solitude, Fosse's work would not have been possible without Gwen Verdon, the woman who helped to mold his style - and make him a star. We are honored to work with the incredible team at FX and Fox 21, and these two extraordinary actors, to tell the story of this remarkable couple, and the complicated, fascinating relationship between them."
"My mother and father have one of the greatest love stories ever known," said Nicole Fosse. "They were extremely complex people with an indestructible bond, loyalty and trust that endured both fantasy and reality. Finally, we have a creative team with the talent and wisdom to tell the story."
