His solo career might be successful, but Zayn Malik keeps going back to the golden days with One Direction. Although he claims to have left the group because he couldn’t deal with the boy band lifestyle anymore, it’s confirmed that he’s developing a new TV show appropriately called Boys about those very experiences. With help from the creator of the Law & Order series, Malik’s new project will be about One Direction a fictional boy band and their struggles while on their to fame and fortune. Here are the full details:
What exactly is the show about?
Boys is essentially about a fictional boy band that is trying to become famous. It will follow all of their ups and downs as they attempt to sign a record label to kickstart their status as a global phenomenon.
Boys “follows the formation of a hugely successful boy band and captures all the excitement, competition, and fun, but also provides an inside look into the pressure that follows,” Variety reports. So basically, it’s a drama.
The show’s producers also plan for this fictional group to become genuine musical artists, launching a career outside of the show. Think Big Time Rush from the show Big Time Rush. Which is interesting because Zayn left 1D precisely because he was against the whole manufactured boy band deal, but okay.
How is Zayn involved?
Zayn has signed on to be the executive producer for Boys. It’s doubtful he’ll cast himself in the boy band, but he probably could if he wanted to.
The show is hugely inspired by Zayn’s time with 1D, if that wasn’t totally obvious. A source close to the project revealed that the singer is taking it very seriously since he connects so closely with the material. “This is a big deal for Zayn,” the insider told the Sun. “He has been keen to get stuck into different projects outside of music, and this is the perfect move. It’s a subject he knows lots about, and he will call upon his experiences to advise the scriptwriters on the show.”
Zayn himself commented on how excited he is about Boys, even though he left his own boy band.”Dick Wolf is a legend, and the opportunity to work with him and NBC to create a compelling drama series is awesome,” he explained to Variety.
When and where can we watch it?
As of now, Boys is just in development, so there’s no premiere date (yet). If it’s picked up (which it probably will be), it will air on NBC.
The show will be produced by Dick Wolf, the brains behind popular series like Law & Order and the Chicago franchise. His wife, Noelle Wolf, and the co-creators of the CW’s Beauty and the Beast, Sherri Cooper Landsman and Jennifer Levin, will be writing for the show.
The show’s so early in development, the boy band isn’t even cast yet! Producers begin casting next month, with Zayn consulting scriptwriters and producers during the selection process.
Who’s reacted to this?
There’s been no word of Zayn’s project from any of the other former One Direction members. It’s unclear whether or not they’ll have any say in what happens on Boys.
Simon Cowell is apparently unhappy about the upcoming show and believes Zayn should have consulted him about it, according to Entertainment Today. “I think he should have come to me with it, if I’m being honest with you,” he commented. Cowell believes that he deserves some of the credit for the former boy band’s success. “I do actually believe that when they’ve [One Direction band members] got these ideas, bearing in mind where we started, they should actually come to me.”
We’re already obsessed, of course. Since he crushed all our dreams by basically dissolving One Direction, the least Zayn can do is give us One Direction 2.0.