After delivering one of the most raw and bracing looks ever at American slavery with “12 Years A Slave,” Steve McQueen is eager to continue detailing the black experience, but this time he’s turning his lens to his native Britain, continuing the trend of directors heading to TV.
McQueen is currently developing a series over at BBC that would track the lives of black Britons living in West London, from 1968 to present day. Needless to say, the untitled project is already being called “epic in scope.” It’s still very early in the process with the director planning to meet with writers and actors over the coming year as he develops it, but this isn’t the first time McQueen has been interested in bringing the life of black Londoners on to the small screen. Back in 2012 it was revealed he was working on a project about the the 1981 Brixton riots, so perhaps this new vehicle grew out of that? Either way, it was a major event in black London life at the time, and we’d wager it’ll be incorporated here.
“I don’t think there has been a serious drama series in Britain with black people from all walks of life as the main protagonists,” McQueen told Baz Bamigboye, but it looks like he’s ready to fill that void.
