RuPaul, J.J. Abrams Developing Series About Drag Icon’s Life
RuPaul‘s rise in the Eighties from club kid to drag superstar will serve as inspiration for a new, as-yet-untitled half-hour dramedy series. The Drag Race creator and host will executive produce alongside J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot partner Ben Stephenson.
The fictionalized take on RuPaul‘s youth and career will take place in New York City during the Eighties. Power executive producer Gary Lennon will write the series. According to Deadline, the series will soon be taken to the marketplace to be bought by a network.
RuPaul, a San Diego native, moved to NYC after attending school in Atlanta. While a fixture in both Atlanta and New York’s nightclub and queer scenes, he became a more widespread success in 1993 with the release of his single “Supermodel (You Better Work).” His star spread to the UK when he began appearing on the series Manhattan Cable, produced by World of Wonder, a company that also produces Drag Race.
RuPaul launched a successful television career through various TV appearances. He also hosted a VH1 talk show — The RuPaul Show — with Michelle Visage in 1996 where he interviewed everyone from Diana Ross to Nirvana. His greatest venture has been the Logo reality competition RuPaul’s Drag Race, which is moving to VH1 for its ninth season. Last year, he won an Emmy award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program. The new season premieres on Friday.