While J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof are busy on their own blockbuster projects, their fellow Lost co-creator Jeffrey Lieber has a new sci-fi show in the works with a huge talent already signed on -- Don Cheadle! The upcoming series is titled Don’t Look Deeper, and it has already landed some major star power in the form of Cheadle, who is currently starring on Showtime’s Black Monday on top of this thriving film career.
Jeffrey Lieber will serve as the showrunner of Don’t Look Deeper, and the Lost co-creator will write the series with Charlie McDonnell for the to-be-launched streaming service Quibi. The sci-fi story is set “15 minutes in the future” and follows a high school senior living in Merced, California. The teenage protagonist senses that she is different, and not for any earthly reasons, as it turns out she is not human.
The truth surrounding her identity, as far as where she is from and who is looking for her, starts a chain reaction, all of which plunges her life into peril. Exciting stuff, in my opinion! Could whoever is looking for her stir some action? It seems possible. Maybe they are looking for her to help and not hurt her. While someone else is doing that. There are a lot of different ways it could go.
Madeline’s Madeline actress Helena Howard will star alongside Don Cheadle, per THR. The Newsroom’s Emily Mortimer will also co-star in the short-form series.
The character that Don Cheadle will be playing in the sci-fi show has not been specified. Curious minds will have to stay tuned, though more details are destined to emerge as Don’t Look Deeper’s release gets closer. This sounds like an exciting platform for the versatile actor, and it's also an ambitious project for the creative team.
The series will bow on the streaming platform, Quibi, which was announced from mega-producer Jeffrey Katzenberg. Quibi is the same streaming service that will resurrect the MTV series, Punk’d and Singled Out for their own short-form returns. The streamer is reportedly looking to launch in 2020, with lots of other projects in the pipeline, which puts Don’t Look Deeper’s premiere happening no sooner than that.
If you are wondering how Don Cheadle is going to manage another series along with Black Monday, there is an answer. Don’t Look Deeper will be a short-form series. Hence, it will last for ten minutes at the most, allowing for a runtime and production schedule that should keep things compatible with production for the second season of Black Monday.
It will be interesting to see how Don’t Look Deeper ends up coming to fruition and who Don Cheadle will play. Based on the description, it sounds as though it will blend a lot of genres and themes, like a classic coming-of-age story with a sci-twist, and hopefully some of Cheadle's patented F-bombs. The mysteries surrounding the lead character should fuel a suspense angle.
Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke will direct for and executive produce the series. She will do the latter alongside Don’t Look Deeper’s showrunner, Jeffrey Lieber, and writer, Charlie McDonnell. Kathleen Grace, Laura Schwartz, Jed Weintrob, and Julina Tatlock will also executive produce.
Lost fans will hopefully get something out of this show, since Evangeline Lilly does not want a reboot to get ordered up. Whether it could actually happen is another matter. Last year, Terry O’Quinn said he wished the show had gone on for another season. This new project from Lost’s co-creator should draw fans of the ABC series, but could it be enough to warrant more from the island of legend?
Don’t Look Deeper does not have a premiere date just yet, so stay tuned. Summer’s sizzling slate of premieres should help with the wait.
