Universal Television is developing a new sports thriller series with some heavy hitters behind the scenes.
The studio has optioned Lights Out, the bestselling novel by former national TV reporter-turned-author Elise Hart Kipness, with Mary J. Blige and Debra Martin Chase attached as executive producers.
Based on the first book in Kipness’ Kate Green series, Lights Out follows a former Olympic athlete turned sports reporter whose life spirals after a high-profile murder shakes her world. When NBA superstar Kurt Robbins is killed and his wife — who also happens to be the reporter’s best friend — becomes the prime suspect, she launches her own investigation to clear her name.
As she digs deeper, the case begins to collide with her personal life, which is already unraveling. Her career is on pause, her family is facing its own struggles, and her estranged father reenters her life as the detective assigned to the very case she’s trying to crack.
Bruce Miller and Milana Edwards-Brooks for Blue Butterfly Productions will also executive produce, alongside Liz Friedlander, who is set to direct. Kipness will also be involved as a consulting producer, along with Liza Fleissig and Ginger Harris-Dontzin.
The novel became an instant Amazon bestseller upon its 2023 release, with the third installment in the series, Close Call, recently landing on the USA Today Bestseller list.
This marks another major move for Blige as she continues to expand her footprint in film and television through Blue Butterfly Productions, while Chase—whose credits span Harriet and The Equalizer—continues her longstanding partnership with Universal Television.