DEADLINE.COM By Jesse Whittock September 21, 2022 6:55am
EXCLUSIVE: Amazon Freevee coming-of-age drama series Beyond Black Beauty has begun principal photography, with shooting of the Amazon Studios, Sinking Ship Entertainment and Leif Films show underway in Canada.
Inspired by the novel of the same name, Beyond Black Beauty follows Jolie Dumont, an Olympic-driven equestrian whose journey is halted when her mother moves them from their posh Belgium life to Baltimore. There Jolie struggles to find roots but as she bonds with an equally spirited horse named Black Beauty, and learns to embrace her family’s ranch, where Black cowboys have been entrenched in their DNA for over a century.
Kaya Coleman (The Sinners) stars as Jolie and Sagine Sémajuste (13: The Musical) as her mother Janelle. Gina James (Hogtown: Code\Switch) and Lisa Berry (Workin’ Moms) also star in the Canadian/Belgian co-production, which began filming recently in Canada, with production scheduled to wrap in Belgium in October.
“Having the opportunity to film in both Canada and Belgium provides a vast canvas that enriches the series’ authenticity, ” said Pilar Golden, who’s among the show’s executive producers. “As we near the end of our Canadian production shoot, the cast have developed a beautiful bond and as filming continues in Belgium in October their relations are sure to strengthen in ways that will only help buoy the theme of the value of family.”
Exec producers are Leif and Agnes Bristow, Blair Powers, Carla de Jong, Golden, and J.J. Johnson.
The international series is set to be released on Amazon’s Freevee as part of its 2023 slate, having been ordered back in May alongside shows such as America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation and Play-Doh Squished.
Kaya Coleman is represented by The Characters and Capstone Talent. Sagine Sémajuste is represented by Oscars Abrams Zimel & Associates. Gina James is represented by FilmComm Talent. Lisa Berry is represented by Oscars Abrams Zimel & Associates and Pilar Golden by APA and Meridian Artists.