Regina King (Genevieve/Flickr)
Emmy-winner Regina King has signed on to develop new programming with ABC Studios for the next two years. The actress and director’s new endeavor adds her to the list of other Black stars who have scored similar deals.
King’s Royal Ties production company will be responsible for the content creation and her sister, Reina King, will be the development executive, according to Deadline. No specifics about the types of television the Kings are seeking to make have been revealed, but this adds to Regina King’s already impressive résumé.
The actress has starred on ABC’s “American Crime” the past two seasons and will return for the third season, which debuts this year. She also stars in HBO’s fantasy drama series “The Leftovers” and will appear in the upcoming Netflix series “Seven Seconds,” which follows a town of Black residents grappling with the white police officers responsible for critically injuring an African-American teen.
Regina King also has worked behind the scenes, having directed episodes of the TV shows “Pitch,” “Being Mary Jane,” “Scandal” and “Greenleaf,” to name a few. As a producer, she most recently executive produced and directed the 2014 documentary “Story of a Village,” which told the story of a school village in Sierra Leone, a country she traced her roots to, according to Indie Wire.
With the ABC Studios deal, Regina King joins other actors who have scored development opportunities with the company. In April 2016, Atlanta Black Star reported Kerry Washington’s Simpson Street Productions signed on to create television for ABC properties for two years. A couple of days later, a similar deal was announced for Viola Davis’ JuVee Productions. That company is currently developing a music-themed comedy for ABC. Additionally, comedian Larry Wilmore also earned a multiyear general contract to create content for the studio. He also will be able to hire talent for forthcoming TV endeavors.
