Anthony Hemingway has boarded the Netflix series adaptation of the Judy Blume novel “Forever” to direct multiple episodes, Variety has learned exclusively.
The series stars Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr. and hails from creator Mara Brock Akil. The official logline states the series is “an epic love story of two Black teens exploring romance and their identities through the awkward journey of being each other’s firsts, set in Los Angeles, 2018.”
Hemingway will direct four episodes in total — the second and third as well as the seventh and eighth episodes, specifically. He will also now serve as an executive producer on the series. It was previously announced that Regina King would be directing the pilot and executive producing the series as well.
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Hemingway is one of the most sought-after directors in television today. His recent credits include helming episodes of “Genius: Aretha,” the pilot of “Power Book II: Ghost,” and the series finale of “Power.” He received an Emmy nomination for best directing in a limited series for his work on “People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story” and shared in the show’s win for best limited series that year as an executive producer. His other TV directing credits include “The Wire,” “Underground,” “Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.,” and “Heroes.” He made his feature directorial debut with the World War II drama “Red Tails” in 2012.
He is repped by M88, UTA, and attorney Tom Hoberman.
“Forever” was the first series ordered under Brock Akil’s Netflix overall deal, which she signed in 2020. She is adapting the novel for the screen and will also serve as showrunner and executive producer. Blume will also executive produce along with King, Hemingway, Susie Fitzgerald, Erika Harrison, Sara White, Reina King, and Shana C. Waterman.