Series Based on Oscar-Winning Short 'Hair Love' Announced For HBO Max

Hair Love is 'the little film that could'. From an original idea by sportsman-turned-filmmaker Matthew A Cherry to a record-breaking successful Kickstarter, the finished short went on to secure distribution by Sony Pictures Animation and win the Best Animated Short Oscar and spawned a best-selling picture book. Cherry recently signed an overall deal with Sony Television to produce both live-action and animated projects. The first to be announced is a brand new series that will feature the characters first introduced in the short and will be produced by Sony Pictures Animation.

Hair Love featured a young Black father struggling to fix his daughter's hair for the first time. The film struck a chord with Black audiences who recognised much of their own authentic experience was being put on screen. At the same time, its family themes are universal so it appealed to audiences of all kinds. The series Young Love will hope to do much the same.

Young Love will follow the Young family, which consists of Millenial parents Stephen and Angela and daughter Zuri, plus pet cat Rocky, "as they juggle their careers, marriage, parenthood, social issues, and multi-generational dynamics all while striving to make a better life for themselves."

Cherry will act as show-runner alongside Carl Jones, an animation veteran whose credits include The Boondocks and Black Dynamite. Dayna Lynne North (Insecure) is on board as writer and executive producer.  Monica A Young, producer on the short, is also an executive producer alongside David Steward II and Carl Reed.

The 2D animated series has been greenlit by streamer HBO Max for an initial 12 episodes. Recent wider events have highlighted the animation industry's lack of diversity both on and off-screen. In times like these Black creatives getting the chance to tell their stories is more important than ever.

Cherry says:

 I am beyond excited to continue telling the story of Stephen, Angela and Zuri and further explore the family dynamics of a young Black millennial family we established in our short film Hair Love as an animated series.Couldn’t ask for better partners in Sony Pictures Animation and HBO Max in helping us get ‘Young Love’ out to the world.

The release date or window for Young Love is to be confirmed.


[ SPA ]