Thursday, April 14, 2022

Hulu Orders 8 Episodes of Sammy Davis Jr. Limited Series Starring Elijah Kelley

Hulu has today given a series order to an untitled original limited series detailing the life of Sammy Davis Jr., with Elijah Kelley set to play the lead role. The season will produce 8 episodes.






Based on the novel In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis, Jr. by Wil Haygood, Sammy Davis Jr. (Kelley) rose from childhood stardom on the vaudeville stage to become one of the most famous African American entertainers of the 1950s and '60s (and the only Black member of Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack). At the same time, he spent most of his career surrounded by controversy and ridicule - over his affairs with white film stars, his 1960 marriage to Swedish actress May Britt, his conversion to Judaism, his closeness to the Kennedys (and later Richard Nixon), and his problems with alcohol and drugs.

Lee Daniels developed the series and will direct the first two episodes. He will executive produce with Marc Toberoff. Thomas Westfall will co-executive produce, while Kelley and Haygood will produce. 20th Television and Lee Daniels Entertainment will produce.