A screenshot from "Hair Love"
David Steward II and Carl Reed, of the Oscar-winning animation studio Lion Forge, have signed on as producers for a new HBO Max series. According to a statement from the company, the 12-episode animated series, Young Love, will be a spinoff of the studio's popular short "Hair Love." In "Hair Love," an African-American father learns how to style his daughter’s curls for the first time. Last February, Steward and Reed won an Academy Award for the short. Matthew A. Cherry, who directed the short, is Young Love's showrunner.
According to the release, Young Love will focus on the family from "Hair Love," including "millennial parents Stephen and Angela, their daughter Zuri and her 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."
In June, Steward and Reed told SLM that they are teaming up with China-based Starlight Media to work on a project about the novel coronavirus. The pair say the new project will focus on health care workers and quarantine, but as with “Hair Love,” they’re hoping to show an underexplored perspective. Also similar to “Hair Love,” Steward and Reed are aiming for representation, both in the story and on their team.
“We always had a focus on diversity and authenticity, and making sure that we had appropriate representation behind the cameras that comported with what we're putting out there,” Steward says. “For a portrayal of a particular ethnic group or a particular audience, making sure that someone on that creative team had walked in those shoes, to make sure that we're telling the story appropriately.” In the new project, he adds, “we're looking at a blend of cultures. We’re looking at Chinese folklore, and we want to make sure that we're telling those with authenticity and intent.”
