Netflix gives birth to American Son

Streaming giant Netflix is prepping a new scripted production based on the 2018 play American Son by US playwright Christopher Demos-Brown.

The work, which is currently in the middle of a run on Broadway in New York, centres on an estranged interracial couple who are reunited in a police station after their son is detained following a traffic stop.

American Son stars Scandal’s Kerry Washington, Steven Pasquale, Jeremy Jordan and Eugene Lee, and is directed by noted theatre impresario Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun). They will all reprise their roles in Netflix’s production, which is due to begin work this February.

Washington’s shingle Simpson Street will produce, with the actress serving as producer alongside her executive VP of development and production Pilar Savone. Jeffrey Richards and Rebecca Gold are also attached as producers.

Washington’s latest partnership with a streaming service follows Hulu last year picking up her and Reese Witherspoon’s Little Fires Everywhere and Facebook releasing her drama Five Points.

Netflix’s new commission comes after it announced it was rebooting factual series Unsolved Mysteries.

The scripted and unscripted orders corroborate analysts’ views that the streamer will continue to invest heavily in content in 2019 to reinforce its leading SVoD status in anticipation of increased competition.