Related: Stream Bob Dylan’s great hits with Amazon Prime
According to Variety, Amazon and Lionsgate TV are nearing a deal for an hourlong drama series that draws inspiration from the characters and themes of the iconic musician’s songs. Based on the title of his 1997 album of the same name, Time out of Mind will be shepherded by writer/director Josh Wakely and will reportedly benefit from a deal that gives the production the right to use much of Dylan’s extensive song catalog.
This isn’t the first time Wakely has mined classic music for material, as he also recently inked a deal with Northern Songs Publishing that will allow him to use many of the Beatles’ songs for an upcoming animated children’s series called Beat Bug. That show will be produced by Netflix and will feature covers from contemporary artists like Pink and Sia.
While Wakely, an Aussie, had been flying somewhat under the radar, these projects are tremendously ambitious and could make him a big name in the small-screen world.
As for the Dylan series, the preliminary plan is for each episode to weave together stories and/or characters from two different songs. For instance, Baby Blue might meet the Girl from the North Country; the Tambourine Man might come down with a case of World War III blues, etc. etc.
The premise sounds pretty clever and — for fans of Dylan at least — this series could be a ton of fun. Time Out of Mind is still in the preliminary stages and has yet to set a release date or cast any major roles, but we’ll update you as information becomes available.
