Night School and Girls Trip director Malcolm D. Lee has set the first TV project from his Blackmaled Productions at NBC.
Lee is writing and executive producing At That Age, a family drama set in Harlem. The Universal TV project has a put pilot commitment from NBC. Former Nickelodeon and Disney exec Nikki Reed is also an executive producer.
At That Age is an exploration of a Harlem family’s legacy. After the Cooper family’s golden child suffers a catastrophic event, seven family members face a foundational shift, make life-altering decisions and deal with deep secrets coming to light.
“To have the first project to come out of our deal with UTV be a story that I feel passionate and strongly about, that I’m getting the opportunity to write, is incredibly gratifying,” Lee said Friday in a statement. “Just like my first film [The Best Man], At That Age will explore universal themes where everyone can see themselves. The specificity of exploring those dynamics with an African-American family show will be emblematic of what audiences who’ve enjoyed my films should expect: heart, humor and intelligence.”
Added Reed: “I’m excited about exploring the complicated dynamics that are often universally shared by siblings. The relationship between brothers and sisters can be reflected by a titanic clash of opposing emotions, of love and hate of competition and support, of envy and admiration. Malcolm will get a chance to do a deep dive into these delicate and challenging relationships in At That Age.”
Lee has made the majority of his films with Universal TV’s sister movie studio; all of those have recouped their production budget, often by wide margins. Night School has made about $85.5 million worldwide thus far against a reported $29 million budget, while Girls Trip earned more than seven times its $19 million budget at the box office.
Lee is repped by Paradigm and Del Shaw.
