NBC has handed a script commitment plus penalty to Lewisburg, a drama inspired by the life of actor Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Wire, The Deuce). The project hails from Akinnagbe, American Gothic creator/executive producer Corinne Brinkerhoff, Dan Lin’s Rideback, Craig Turk’s Thinking Hat, and CBS TV Studios.
Written by Akinnagbe, Lewisburg follows a young man whose only way out of East Baltimore is his wrestling talent. When he accepts an offer to join the nationally ranked team at a university in central Pennsylvania, however, he winds up grappling with much more than he ever imagined, including issues of race, class and the personal costs of confronting our most entrenched systems. The project draws parallels to the life of Akinnagbe, who attended Bucknell University on a wrestling scholarship.
Written by Akinnagbe, Lewisburg follows a young man whose only way out of East Baltimore is his wrestling talent. When he accepts an offer to join the nationally ranked team at a university in central Pennsylvania, however, he winds up grappling with much more than he ever imagined, including issues of race, class and the personal costs of confronting our most entrenched systems. The project draws parallels to the life of Akinnagbe, who attended Bucknell University on a wrestling scholarship.
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