After a successful indie run, director Justin Simien’s 2014 Dear White People film is making its way from the big screen to the small screen as a new Netflix series. As previously announced, the half-hour series about diverse students of color matriculating through an Ivy League school rounded out its regular cast with Antoinette Robertson, DeRon Horton, John Patrick Amedori and Ashley Blaine Featherson, and officially started on production at the top of September.
According to Deadline, we can expect to see Uncle Buck actress Nia Long popping up on our Netflix screens fairly often, as she’s been given a recurring role in the Lionsgate-produced show. Long will be playing an African-American Studies professor at Winchester University named Neika Hobbs, who’s smart, confident and pulled together, but is dealing with her own complex personal issues at home.
Dear White People is slated for a 2017 Netflix premiere.