Kerry Washington has signed on to produce and star in Rockaway, a surfing film being developed for Netflix based on Diane Cardwell‘s memoir of the same name. Nichelle Tramble Spellman (Truth Be Told) will write the screenplay.
The film will revolve around a New York City journalist who takes a routine assignment in the eclectic Queens neighborhood of Rockaway Beach, where she unexpectedly discovers the transcendent power of surfing. Soon, she finds herself running from the comfortable life she’s always known and towards new experiences filled with romance and self-discovery.
Washington and Pilar Savone will produce for Simpson Street along with Todd Shuster of Aevitas Entertainment and Liza Chasin of 3dot Productions, which has a first-look deal with Netflix.
Washington already has a strong relationship with Netflix, having starred in Emmy-nominated drama American Son and Ryan Murphy‘s The Prom, and her next project will see her opposite Charlize Theron and Michelle Yeoh in Paul Feig‘s The School For Good And Evil, which is also being developed for the streaming giant.
Netflix obviously sees Washington as a valuable asset if they keep working with her. It’s hard to judge how a surfing film will perform with audiences, but the themes of community and self-discovery should be universally understood, even if the viewer isn’t familiar with the slightly esoteric watersport.
#Peace.Love.Rockaway
