James R | On 17, Apr 2021

Alma Har’el has inked a first-look TV deal with Amazon Studios.

The Honey Boy director and her newly formed production comedy, Zusa, will develop and create new series for Amazon Prime Video.

Honey Boy, which starred Shia LaBeouf, was released by Amazon Studios and took home the Special Jury Directing Award for Craft & Vision at Sundance in 2019. The movie marked Har’el’s first narrative feature, as well as the first time a woman took home the Directors Guild of America award for a first-time feature.

Since then, she has been given a straight-to-series order from Apple TV+ for Lady in the Lake, a new show based on Laura Lipman’s novel starring Natalie Portman and Lupita Nyong’o. Now, though, she’s entering into partnership with Amazon, where she also has a project in development: Women of the Year, a scripted anthology based on the Time 100 Women of the Year initiative conceived by Har’el that features a selection of women visionaries who played key roles in society’s great achievements.

Har’el has also founded Free the Work, a non-profit initiative that has created a searchable database of underrepresented creators.

“Alma is a creative force, who brings the same kind of passion to storytelling as she does to lifting the voices and achievements of others,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “We’re so excited to continue our relationship with Alma and to collaborate on more exciting projects.”

“I’m truly thankful for the support Jen Salke has shown me and Free The Work over the years,” added Har’el. “As an immigrant who is finally in a position to hire artists I admire, I’m committed to finding ways to include more global stories and international filmmakers in Zusa’s future projects. Being given a platform to produce, write, and direct stories that capture my imagination is a freaking dream coming true.”

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