Netflix nets LeBron’s Walker drama

LeBron James is behind SpringHill Entertainment

Global streaming giant Netflix has picked up a limited series from basketball star LeBron James and Hollywood actor Octavia Spencer that will tell the story of entrepreneur Madam CJ Walker.

The eight-episode drama is based on the book On Her Own Ground by Walker’s great-great-granddaughter A’Lelia Bundles. James and Spencer will executive produce the project.

Warner Bros Television is  producing along with James’ SpringHill Entertainment. Kasi Lemmons will direct the pilot and exec produce, with Nicole Asher writing.

Janine Sherman Barrois and Elle Johnson will also serve as executive producers, alongside SpringHill’s Maverick Carter and Zero Gravity’s Mark Holder and Christine Holder.

On Her Own Ground is the first full-scale definitive biography of Walker, the legendary African-American entrepreneur and philanthropist who discovered a revolutionary hair care formula for black women and was one of the wealthiest self-made women in America. Bundles will serve as a consultant on the series.

In related news, Netflix has also made a series order for a show from the producers of The Crown and Spanish hit La Casa de Papel (Money Heist).

White Lines is written by La Casa de Papel’s Alex Pina who will serve as showrunner. It will be executive produced by Andy Harries and Sharon Hughff for Left Bank, the company behind The Crown, and Pina and Cristina Lopez Ferraz for Vancouver Media, producer of La Casa de Papel.

Finally, the global streamer has also commissioned an Instagram-inspired baking show called The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell.

McConnell has become known for her social media posts which present weird and creepy baked goods. She is also the author of the cookbook Deceptive Desserts: A Lady’s Guide to Baking Bad! The new Netflix show is being produced by The Jim Henson Co and Wilshire Studios.