Disney develops New York-set musical with playwright David E Talbert

Disney Branded Television is developing a musical series set in New York City with playwright and filmmaker David E Talbert (Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey).

Ayo Davis

Madelyn Square Gardens follows a young woman as she moves to New York from Mississippi, thinking her dreams of being on Broadway are about to come true.

Talbert, who most recently wrote, directed and produced Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey for Netflix, started his career as a playwright before breaking into film in 2008 with comedy First Sunday starring Ice Cube.

His other credits include Almost Christmas for Universal, Baggage Claim for Fox Searchlight and El Camino Christmas for Netflix.

As well as theatre and film, Talbert is an author and has written three novels: Baggage Claim, Love on the Dotted Line, and Love Don’t Live Here No More: Book One of Doggy Tales, which he wrote with Snoop Dogg.

Talbert, alongside his wife and partner Lyn Sisson-Talbert, will produce Madelyn Square Gardens through their Golden Alchemy Entertainment banner.

Their other projects in development include ABC’s Better Late, a single-cam comedy produced alongside Lebron James and Maverick Carter for Springhill Entertainment. Earlier this year the duo signed a first-look deal with Netflix.

Ayo Davis, the recently appointed president at Disney Branded Television, said: “David’s devoted fan base continues to grow because his passion for joyful stories with a strong emotional connection shines through to create something truly unique that transcend all limits.

“We look forward to working with him at Disney, where music is part of our programming DNA and where we’ve proven that great stories, coupled with world-class music, can connect viewers across cultural, socio-economic and geographical lines.”