Starz is “pretty excited” about the Mary-Louise Parker-led “Weeds” sequel series it has in the works, despite the fact Jenji Kohan — who created the original series for Showtime — is still not involved in the project.
But that’s not for lack of trying, as Lionsgate — which owns Starz and produced the drug drama — continues to talk to her about joining the followup series, according to Starz CEO Jeffrey Hirsch.
“‘Weeds,’ as we’ve announced before, is in development,” Hirsch told reporters during the Television Critics Association press tour Tuesday. “We’re pretty excited about Lionsgate putting together a great package with ‘Weeds.’ Obviously, Mary[-Louise] is a great actor. The world of cannabis has changed significantly, so there’s a ton of cannabis’ story to be told. So we’re excited to see what Lionsgate comes up with.”
When asked about Kohan’s previously revealed lack of involvement in the project, he said: “We are doing the show with this new take and Jenji is not involved. The Lionsgate TV folks have talked to her and continue to talk to her about, not only this show, but various other stuff that they’re talking about. And I’m not really sure how those conversations are going. But, again, we’re very excited that in this new world of cannabis, there’s a lot of story to be told. And I’m very confident in the Lionsgate TV group’s ability to come up with a great show and deliver a great story.”
Representatives for Kohan did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
“Weeds,” ran on Showtime from 2005-2012. Along with Parker, who starred as Botwin family matriarch Nancy, the original series starred Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, Justin Kirk, Elizabeth Perkins and Kevin Nealon.
The new version, which was announced last November, will come from executive producer Victoria Morrow, who served as a writer and co-executive producer on the original version. Parker will also be an executive producer on the new series. According to Starz, the followup series would pick up with the Botwin family 10 years after the end of the show during the era of marijuana legalization.