Starz, Jerry Bruckheimer to Develop ‘Black Samurai’ Series

Starz will team with producer Jerry Bruckheimer to create a new action-drama series,Black Samurai, the network announced Tuesday.

The series, based on theBlack Samurainovels written by Marc Olden, stars Common (John Wick 2,Suicide Squad,Selma) as a highly trained American Army Ranger whose life is transformed when he meets a legendary Japanese master who invites him to train as a samurai.

According to Starz,Black Samuraipromises to be “a mash-up of the spy and martial arts genres and infused with the heart, soul and music of Common and the Wu-Tang Clan, creating a modern-day international action star."

Go to multichannel.com for more.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.