Zoe Kravitz's HIGH FIDELITY Series Moves From Disney+ To Hulu
Disney has been developing a new series adaptation of Nick Hornby's 1995 novel High Fidelity. Zoe Kravitz is starring in the project and it was originally being developed for Disney+. Well, there’s been a change in plans as the 10-episode series is now set to premiere on Hulu.
After the acquisition of Fox, Disney also gained a controlling 60% stake in Hulu, which means we will be seeing more Disney properties end up on that streaming service.
High Fidelity is being adapted into a romantic comedy in which the lead role will now be a woman, played by Kravitz, whose mom, Lisa Bonet, starred in the original film.
The series is said to reimagine the story from the female perspective. Kravitz “will play the ultimate music fan–a record store owner who’s obsessed with pop culture and Top Five lists.” It’s also said that the series will be in the authentic spirit of the original source material and like John Cusack’s character from the original film, Kravitz will talk straight to the camera as she chronicles past relationships.
The series is being developed by writers Veronica West and Sarah Kucserka (Bull, Ugly Betty). The co-writer of the feature film Scott Rosenberg will also serve as a producer on the series.
The original plan for the series was for it to have a lighter more PG-13 tone than the original film, but according to Deadline, “ as the development progressed, and especially after Kravitz came on board as star and executive producer, the project evolved creatively to become more mature than what Disney+ would feel comfortable programming.”
So, in order to keep the vision of the creators in tact and to let them tell the story the way they envisioned it, they moved the series to Hulu. Agnes Chu, SVP, Content, Disney+ had this to say in a statement:
“Developing High Fidelity with Zoe, Veronica, Sarah and the team at Midnight Radio has been incredibly exciting and we want to ensure they are able to make the show they are envisioning as Disney+ is dedicated to supporting our creative partners. To that end, as the series’ creative evolved, our Disney+ team, collectively with ABC Signature, recognized that the show would be better suited for another platform. Given Disney’s equity stake in Hulu, we’re happy High Fidelity will continue as part of our extended family.”
Beatrice Springborn, Hulu’s VP, Content Development added:
“Hulu is home to stories that tap into pop culture and redefine genres, so we jumped at the opportunity to bring a seminal work like High Fidelity into the fold as a Hulu Original. We are over the moon to work with Zoe, Veronica and Sarah to bring viewers this fresh take on an enduring story that has resonated with millions of people over the past two decades.”
Midnight Radio went on to say:
“The entire High Fidelity team is absolutely ecstatic about our move to Hulu and incredibly grateful to ABC Signature and Disney+ for being so supportive of the transition. Once Zoe came onboard and the show began to evolve, it quickly became clear we may be best suited for a different home. Everyone involved locked arms to help make this shift to Hulu, which is the perfect platform to reinvent this beloved timeless property.”
I’m actually pretty happy to learn that the series is headed to Hulu, maybe this series won’t turn out so bad after all!