Netflix’s adaptation of Judy Blume’s 1975 novel “Forever” by Mara Brock Akil has cast its leads. Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr. are set to star in the series, with Regina King joining as an executive producer and director of the first episode.
The series, ordered by Netflix in 2022, explores an epic love story between two Black teens, Keisha Clark (Simone) and Justin Edwards (Cooper Jr.), navigating romance and self-discovery in Los Angeles, 2018.
Simone’s character, Keisha Clark, is a confident, smart, and fiery track star with clear post-high school life aspirations. On the other hand, Cooper Jr. plays Justin Edwards, a young man with a nerdy heart hidden in an athlete’s body, aspiring to excel in D1 basketball and surpass his successful parents.
Both Simone and Cooper Jr. have notable backgrounds in the entertainment industry. Simone, known for her roles in “Manhunt,” “Greenleaf,” and “Power Book III: Raising Kanan,” while Cooper Jr. gained recognition for his performances in “On the Come Up” and “The Inhabitant.”
This project marks the first series under Mara Brock Akil’s Netflix overall deal, signed in 2020. As the showrunner and executive producer, Brock Akil is adapting Blume’s novel for the screen. Other executive producers include Judy Blume, Regina King, Susie Fitzgerald, Erika Harrison, Sara White, Reina King, and Shana C. Waterman.