Hulu has picked up the pilot for a new scripted drama series from Onyx Collective, titled “Southern Bastards,” with Nia DaCosta, Bill Dubuque and Matt Olmstead attached as EPs.
Olmstead will serve as showrunner for the pilot, and executive produces alongside DaCosta and Dubuque, who share story credits, while DaCosta is attached to direct. The pilot is produced by Onyx Collective, POV Entertainment and Proximity Media, in association with Fifth Season.
Based on the graphic novel series of the same name, the pilot centers on a tenacious military vet who heads into Craw County, Alabama, in search of her estranged father. What she finds is “a murderous hornet’s nest of organized crime run by the winningest high school football coach in the South,” per the official logline.
The source material hails from Jason Aaron and Jason Latour, who also serve as EPs on the pilot. Additional EPs include Layne Eskridge via POV Entertainment, Proximity Media and Gabrielle Nadig.
The pilot pickup comes amidst a banner year for DaCosta, who wrote, directed and produced “Hedda,” starring Tessa Thompson in the titular role, which debuted theatrically on Oct. 22 and on Prime Video on Oct. 29. She also directed “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” which will premiere in theaters in January 2026. DaCosta is also known for writing and directing “The Marvels,” “Candyman” and “Little Woods.”
Dubuque is best known for co-creating the Jason Bateman and Laura Linney-led “Ozark,” and also wrote “The Judge,” “A Family Man,” “The Accountant” and “The Accountant 2.”
As co-creator of both “Chicago PD” and “Chicago Med,” Olmstead is a TV veteran, who also served as a longtime showrunner on “Prison Break,” “NYPD Blue,” “Chicago Fire” and “FBI International,” and more recently executive produced Hulu’s upcoming “Furious.”
