If you haven’t bough stock in Netflix yet, you may want to consider doing so soon. The company continues to pump out hit series after hit series with no end in sight. Now they have teamed up with actress / singer Selena Gomez for an original show that tackles very dark subject matter: teen suicide.
According to The Wrap, the streaming giant has signed Gomez to headline the upcoming 13 Reasons Why. The series centers on a young high school student, played by Gomez, who commits suicide and leaves cassette tapes behind for the 13 people who played a part in her decision to take her own life – hence the title of the series. Like we said, it’s pretty dark.
The series adapts Jay Asher’s best-selling book, which is tailored to the Young Adult crowd, for the screen. 13 Reasons Why will be executive produced by Anonymous Content, whose prior work includes True Detective and Mr. Robot. While this does not exactly guarantee that the series will go on to become an instant classic, but it certainly does not hurt its prospects either.
This influx of work for Gomez comes after her recent return to the limelight following a secret battle with lupus between 2013 and 2014. She has most certainly kept herself busy over the last year to make up for the absence. In addition to the upcoming Netflix series, she also recently wrapped four films: Dubious Battle, The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, The Big Short, and Neighbors 2.
Selena Gomez recently had a voice role in the animated Hotel Transylvania 2, which set box office records with its opening – you can check out a trailer for that film below (it might be appropriate viewing today). Essentially, she’s experiencing just as much of a boom as Netflix, and seems eager to capitalize on her exposure.
The series will join Netflix’s already stellar library of programming that includes original shows such as Orange is the New Black, Daredevil, and House of Cards. Netflix seems to capitalize on their ability to tell dark stories free from ratings restrictions, but relishes the opportunity to expand into newer genres with each passing project. 13 Reasons Why is one of the first original programs for the company that is specifically tailored towards a Young Adult audience, which is a huge market, and success here could easily usher in an influx of such content.
We will keep you posted on any news associated with 13 Reasons Why. As of now there has yet to be an announced release date for the series, but expect it to join the ranks of the sites high quality original programs at some point in the near future.
