Oscar nominee Steven Yeun and Justin Lin, the franchise director of Fast & Furious, are reportedly at work on a new project for Peacock, a crime series set in 1960s-era Hawaii. Yeun, noted for his roles in Minari and The Walking Dead, won’t be appearing on screen, however.
Entitled The Islands, the upcoming series is expected to draw inspiration from a century or more of the recent history of the archipelago: Hawaii was an independent kingdom until it was overthrown by mainland American business interests in 1893, then annexed by the United States in 1898. It became the 50th state in 1959.
Kaz and Ryan Firpo, the cousins who scripted the The Eternals, will handle the scriptwriting. The foursome will be joined by Andrew Schneider as executive producer under the aegis of Universal Television, Perfect Storm Entertainment, and Universal Remote. The latter two are affiliated with Justin Lin and Steven Yeun, respectively. Lin had earlier been involved in several other TV productions, including (appropriately) a revival of Magnum P.I., set in the Aloha State. He also is credited with his work for Warrior, Scorpion, and S.W.A.T.
Kaz and Ryan Firpo have been acclaimed as the scripters for Marvel’s The Eternals that was directed by Chloé Zhao and saw Angelina Jolie and Richard Madden in leading roles. Some of their earlier productions included Prodigy (Netflix and Will Packer Productions) and The Aliens Are Stealing Our Weed (Paramount Pictures).