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Lee Daniels' The Spook Who Sat by the Door Finds a Home at FX

The Spook Who Sat by the Door, the 1969 spy novel from Sam Greenlee, will be headed to a small screen near us soon, thanks to Lee Daniels. Suggested Reading Expert On Big Development for Black Man Whose Dreads Were Shaved Off by Prison Officers Why ‘Handsome’ Jay-Z Has Everyone Thirsting Over Him During The…

The Spook Who Sat by the Door, the 1969 spy novel from Sam Greenlee, will be headed to a small screen near us soon, thanks to Lee Daniels.

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Deadline reports that the Empire co-creator will executive produce the project, along with Lee Daniels Entertainment President Marc Velez. Raising Dion co-executive producer Leigh Dana Jackson will pen the script as well as serve as showrunner. Burning Sands and The First Purge director Gerard McMurray is also on board to direct. The series comes as a part of Danielsโ€™ overall deal with Disneyโ€™s 20th Television.

โ€œThe Spook Who Sat by the Door was my dadโ€™s favorite book,โ€ said Daniels. โ€œHeโ€™d be so proud that Iโ€™m doing this and even prouder that Iโ€™m doing this with Gerard and Danaโ€”two bold and brilliant Black storytellers.โ€

First adapted in 1973 and directed by Ivan Dixon, the feature film starred Lawrence Cook, J.A. Preston, Paula Kelly and Janet League. Legendary pianist and jazz musician Herbie Hancock also composed and conducted the filmโ€™s original score. The new series will โ€œlook at the fictional story of Dan Freeman, the first African American CIA officer hired by the agency in the late 1960s. The story chronicles the quest of Freeman, who was recruited as part of an affirmative-action program. After a very competitive selection process, he trains in high-level combat and espionage. However, following this arduous training, this model recruit is rewarded with a post in the reprographics, aka photocopying, department, โ€˜left by the doorโ€™ as a token of the CIAโ€™s โ€˜racial equality.โ€™โ€

As of now, there has been no official word yet on who will star in the series or a potential debut date. Up next for Daniels is his Andra Day-led feature The United States vs. Billie Holiday, which is set to premiere on Hulu on February 26. The film stars Day as Billie Holiday, Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight), Daโ€™Vine Joy Randolph (Dolemite Is My Name), Rob Morgan (Just Mercy), Miss Lawrence (Star), Tone Bell (Sylvieโ€™s Love), Tyler James Williams (Everybody Hates Chris), Evan Ross, Natasha Lyonne, and Garrett Hedlund.

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