29 November, 2021 – Bristol, UK – Emma Frost and Matthew Graham’s Legendary backed production company, Watford & Essex, today announced the acquisition of Jordan Stephens’ “The Wolf You Feed: On Masculinity and Heartbreak” based on his viral 2017 article for The Guardian and his forthcoming book sold at auction and due to be published in 2023. The article, a personal narrative that explores the themes of love, relationships, cheating and how societal coding plays a part in all of these, will be adapted into a television series with Stephens set to write and star.
Stephens’ goal is to put heteronormative male emotion – a bizarrely untapped and taboo space – under the microscope. In the wake of Stephens facing his shadow, he discovers some uncomfortable truths. And goes on a journey worth sharing. Stephens is an exceptionally talented musician, writer, performer and campaigner. He is also half of the hip hop duo Rizzle Kicks.
Watford & Essex’s recently appointed Head of Development, Rachel Knight, will oversee the project. Knight joined W&E from Tiger Aspect where she served as an executive producer and development producer.
“Can’t believe this is happening. Love these guys.” said Stephens.
“We’re thrilled and proud work with Jordan on his extraordinarily powerful, insightful and timely story of personal growth. He has an unflinching approach to the male psyche and a uniquely imaginative way of conveying it. He’s a rare talent and his odyssey will make for a raw, emotional and electric drama series,” said Frost and Graham.
Knight has worked extensively in both drama production and development for over fifteen years. She previously worked as the Head of Development at Urban Myth Films where she oversaw a diverse slate of projects for terrestrial, international and SVOD broadcasters where she developed The One (Netflix), War Of The Worlds (Canal+/Fox) and Crazyhead (C4), and served as Co-Producer on both series of Atlantis (BBC) as well as Associate Producer on A Confession (ITV). Knight was also a Script Executive at Shine and began her career in the drama department at Carlton TV working on shows such as Casualty, Emmerdale and Family Affairs as a script editor.
Legendary Entertainment and two of the industry’s luminary showrunners Emma Frost and Matthew Graham formed Watford & Essex in November 2020. The Bristol-based UK drama production company is developing, producing, and deficit financing British and international high-end scripted programming across a range of genres – from thrillers and crime to dramedy, fantasy and YA – working with networks, co-producers and financiers in all markets.
About Watford & Essex:
Watford & Essex is a Bristol-based UK drama production company which sees award winning British writers/showrunners Emma Frost & Matthew Graham teaming with Chris Albrecht and Anne Thomopoulos at Legendary Global on a joint venture to create and produce high end television drama for all markets. Frost & Graham are joint CEOs and Christine Healy is COO. Between them the executive team have produced or commissioned over a thousand hours of award‐winning drama for BBC, ITV, C4, C5 and Sky in the UK and for HBO, Starz, Cinemax, Netflix, Amazon, WGBH, CBS, MTV and Showtime in the USA. To learn more visit: www.watfordandessex.com
About Legendary Television:
Legendary Television is a leading global full-service television studio specializing in financing, developing, and producing quality genre and character-driven projects for multiple platforms. Championing compelling auteur-driven storytelling featuring renowned talent, Legendary’s Television roster includes: the reboot of the classic family adventure series Lost in Space for Netflix; Carnival Row, a fantasy noir drama starring Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne, for Amazon; Pacific Rim: The Black, an original anime series expanding the story of the first two live action movies for Netflix; and Debris, the sci-fi drama from J.H. Wyman and starring Jonathan Tucker and Riann Steele, for NBC. Upcoming projects include: Dune: The Sisterhood, based on one of the most popular science fiction franchises of all time, for HBO Max; Paper Girls, based on Brian K. Vaughan’s best-selling graphic novel, and Lightyears, a one-hour drama series starring Sissy Spacek and J.K. Simmons, for Amazon; the anime series Skull Island and Tomb Raider, both for Netflix; and upcoming international local language productions: the multinational and multi-lingual series Drops of God, based on the best-selling hit manga, and the new Portuguese crime heist Vanda. To learn more visit: www.legendary.com
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