In what may be the most unusual news development of the day, Microsoft’s Xbox Entertainment division is reportedly developing a series loosely based on the life of 1990s rap star Nas (via Deadline). Street Dreams, as the half-hour series is said to be called, is set in the Queensbridge housing projects in New York City (where Nas grew up) during the ’90s. There’s no mention of story specifics, but “based on the life of Nas” is a pretty clear clue. Expect family drama and a peek at the then-young rap game.
Street Dreams was developed by Jamie Petricof and Lynette Howell’s Electric City Entertainment. The Wackness director Jonathan Levine is on board to write and direct the series, and Nas is involved on the writing and music side of things. The rapper will also executive produce, along with his manager Anthony Seleh, Patricof, Howell, and Levine.
This is the latest info slip in an ever-growing lineup of possible Xbox Entertainment properties. Steven Spielberg has a Halo series in development, as Microsoft confirmed back when the Xbox One was revealed. Also said to be in development is a skater-focused comedy series and a reality competition/documentary focused on street soccer. Then there’s another documentary series in development (this one’s actually confirmed!) that will be kicking off with a look at the famed burial of the Atari 2600’s disastrous E.T. game. And as if all that isn’t enough, Xbox Entertainment just hired former AMC programming director Ari Mark to develop unscripted content for Xbox platforms.
