Steve McQueen is getting into the TV game.
Director McQueen, whose “12 Years a Slave” is a major contender in this year’s Oscar race, is developing a drama project with HBO, which McQueen will executive-produce, co-write and direct, a network individual told TheWrap.
Also read: Director Steve McQueen on His Brutal ’12 Years A Slave’: It’s a Film About Love
The as-yet-untitled project will be the exploration of a young African American man’s experience entering New York high society — with a past that may not be what it seems.
Matthew Michael Carnahan (“World War Z”) will co-write with McQueen.
See video: ‘12 Years a Slave’ Director Steve McQueen Wants Viewers to Experience Injustice
Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons is also among the project’s executive producers, along with “The King’s Speech” duo Iain Canning and Emil Sherman.