What would you do if your child was a superhero, but you weren’t? That was the premise of the comic book “Raising Dion,” which is now set to be adapted into a new series for Netflix.
The streaming service announced Thursday that it’s ordered a 10-episode season based on the book and the paired short film, which went viral in 2015 and which you can watch above.
The concept, concerning an African-American single mother named Nicole Reese who discovers her son has multiple, constantly changing abilities, was created by commercial and music video director Dennis Liu.
Actor Michael B. Jordan is serving as an executive producer with his company Outlier Society Productions. He is also set to appear in the series as Nicole’s late husband, Mark. The rest of the cast hasn’t been announced.
He also created the comic and directed the film. Liu has signed on to direct the first episode for Netflix.
Carol Barbee, who was most recently an executive producer on the Lifetime series “UnREAL,” will serve as showrunner and executive producer, and has written the script for the first episode.
“I started this project many years ago because I wanted to see more diverse representation on film and television and I’m excited to partner with Netflix, who I know shares that commitment,” Liu said in a statement. “More than ever, we need more stories told from different points of view and my hope with ‘Raising Dion’ is to create a cinematic experience for all families that will lift your spirits and make you laugh and cry.”
“We haven’t seen this type of superhero story before — an origin myth full of imagination, wonder and adventure, all grounded in the experiences of a modern single mother,” said Cindy Holland, vice president of original content for Netflix.
Throughout the story, Nicole, along with Mark’s best friend Pat, work to protect Dion from both his powers and people who might be out to exploit him. She raises Dion as normally as possible while also telling him to keep his powers out of the public eye. She also works to find the origin of his abilities.
MACRO’s Charles D. King, Kim Roth and Poppy Hanks will also be executive producing, along with Kenny Goodman; and Michael Green (“American Gods”).