Netflix Film Producer Takes Interest in Popular Black Book Series That Has Sold 12 Million Copies

Nationwide — Pierre Bagley, an independent filmmaker who has directed the likes of Taraji P. Henson and whose films have aired on Netflix, Bounce TV, TNT, and more, is now set to adapt and produce a film series based on the popular Bluford books series written by a multiracial team of authors. To date, the books in that series have sold more than 12 million copies.

The Bluford books series has caught the industry off guard because of its massive and avid fan base. In 2001, an indie publisher disrupted the Young Adult market by rejecting the cynical, baseless notion that “black kids don’t read,” by publishing a 7-book YA series, set in an urban American high school. All the main characters were Black and Brown — unheard of at the time — and they were complex and multifaceted, their stories realistic and edgy but also uplifting. The Bluford Series was born.

Today, the series spans 23 titles and has sales of more than 12 million copies with readers in all 50 states and boasting a readership of more than 50 million. Bluford has achieved historic success in YA fiction (U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson is an avid fan). It has also fueled a vocal fanbase clamoring for a television/film series.

“For over two decades, the Bluford High Series has represented hope, resilience, compassion, and overcoming adversity, all hallmarks for creating captivating content, which is the sole focus of our creative team’s efforts,” says Pierre Bagley.

Mr. Bagley and Academy Award-winning producer David Dinerstein have joined efforts to bring Bluford to the screen and will be pitching the series to various streaming outlets (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc) as well as broadcast and cable.

The producers took an unconventional route of appealing directly to Bluford’s massive audience and asking the simple question: Why?… Why can’t this bright, passionate audience of millions have a TV/film series based on the books they read growing up? Why can’t they watch these stories that resonate for them? They asked the question and the response has been enormous.

Source: blacknews.com