Vince Staples to Star in ‘The Wood’ Pilot for Showtime, Original Film Cast to Join

The 1999 classic film The Wood will be developed into a pilot for Showtime. Variety reports Vince Staples is set to star in the series.

Joining Staples in the cast are Xavier Mills, Karen Obilom, Melvin Gregg, and Essence Renae. The series will bring back Richard T. Jones and Tamala Jones for their roles of Slim and Tanya.

The pilot will be directed and executive produced by Rick Famuyiwa, who also wrote and directed the film. According to Showtime, The Wood will be an honest look at the friendship and dating from the perspective of three young Black males born and raised in the gentrifying L.A. suburb of Inglewood. The trio’s struggles to balance fatherhood, ambition, and loyalty force them to question if they are growing apart, or closer together.

In the show, Staples will be Jamal, an aspiring photographer from Ladera Heights who opts to skip out on college at Morehouse, leading to him being cut off by his upper-class family.

You can learn more about the pilot here.