Natasha Rothwell will write, star in, executive produce and co-showrun a Hulu Original comedy for Onyx Collective called “How to Die Alone,” which just received an eight-episode order from the Disney General Entertainment content brand.
The “Insecure” alumna will serve as co-showrunner and EP along with Emmy nominee Vera Santamaria (“Pen15,” “BoJack Horseman”). “How to Die Alone,” which is a product of her deal with ABC Signature and Onyx Collective, will be produced under her banner, Big Hattie Productions. Desiree Akhavan (“The Bisexual”) also serves as executive producer.
Per the series’ logline, “‘How to Die Alone’ follows Melissa (Rothwell), a fat, black, neurotic who’s never been in love. After a comical brush with death, she refuses to settle for anything less than the life she wants, catapulting her on a journey to becoming ‘100% that bitch’ in real life by any means necessary.”
While best known for being a series regular, writer and producer on “Insecure,” Rothwell was nominated for a 2022 Emmy for her supporting portrayal in Mike White’s critically acclaimed “The White Lotus.” Her upcoming projects include Warner Bros.’ “Wonka,” opposite Timothée Chalamet, and voice role in Disney’s animated feature “Wish.” She is a Peabody Award and NAACP Image Award winner, as well as a 2021 Sundance Screenwriters Lab Fellow. In 2020, she founded Big Hattie Productions and is currently creating under that banner at ABC/Disney. Aside from writing on “Saturday Night Live,” additional acting credits include “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “BoJack Horseman,” “Love, Simon,” “Sonic the Hedgehog” and “Wonder Woman 1984.”
Rothwell is represented by Edna Cowan Management, CAA, Sechel and lawyers Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein. Santamaria is repped by CAA, Glenn Cockburn and Conrad Sun with Meridian Artists, and Morris Yorn.
Onyx Collective is a brand that aims to curate a slate of premium programming by creators of color and underrepresented voices. Its critically acclaimed debut project was Questlove’s Oscar-winning documentary “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” with recent releases including “The Hair Tales,” from executive producers Tracee Ellis Ross, Michaela Angela Davis and Oprah Winfrey, and legal drama “Reasonable Doubt,” from executive producers Raamla Mohamed, Kerry Washington and Larry Wilmore.
