Source: Rodin Eckenroth / Getty
Marsai Martin is back in the producer seat as her new comedy Saturdays receives a pilot order from Disney Channel.
According to Deadline, the single-camera comedy follows Paris Johnson (Danielle Jalade), an ambitious 13-year-old girl who has been roller skating since the age of four. As the leader of a skate crew, she’s determined to not let any obstacle, including her sickle cell disease, stop her from making it all the way to the top.
Omar Gooding and Golden Brooks will play Paris’ parents and Jermaine Harris has been cast as her older brother and aspiring DJ.
The Girlfriends alum took to Instagram to share the news captioning the post, “Very excited about this one! Joining the @disney @disneychannel family is beyond an honor. Thank you @marsaimartin and your team for giving great stories a platform You’re going to love this one.”
The black-ish actress took to Twitter to share her excitement that the news is finally available to the public writing, “Y’all … I’m so happy to finally be able to talk about this.”
The premiere date has not been confirmed but the 16-year-old will executive produce through her production company Genius Entertainment alongside her parents Joshua and Carol Martin. Normance Vance Jr. (Roll Bounce, Girlfriends) will serve as the writer-executive producer and Charles Stone III (Drumline) will direct.
“When we met with Marsai about this project, we couldn’t have been more impressed with her passion for diverse storytelling and commitment to female empowerment,” Rafael Garcia, vice president, Development, Disney Branded Television said in a statement. “We’re extremely excited to team up with Norman and the Genius Entertainment team to tap into roller-skating culture in a way that’s truly both authentic and aspirational for our audience.”
Although 1 in 4 adults are diagnosed with a disability, the disabled community is barely portrayed on television. This is a great step towards representation as the pilot is awarded the opportunity to have a greater conversation about the impacts of sickle cell among the Black community and disability as a whole.
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