Raising Dion coming to Netflix

Okay, full disclosure. I have done so many reviews and quick news articles over the years, that I don't always remember everything I've talked about.   About two years ago, I had done a piece about an upcoming indy comic called RAISING DION.  The premise of the comic was a single-mother raising a child with super-powers.  This project had stood out to me because it had come with a pretty cool teaser trailer.  This morning, I was scrolling down Facebook and a friend of mine from high school had posted a link to an upcoming Netflix series with the description, "Netflix just picked up a show centered around a single black mother who’s raising a black 7 year old kid who has superpowers."  I immediately realized that it was RAISING DION, and was very excited to see that it had resurfaced...

Netflix has given a 10-episode straight-to-series order to hourlong sci-fi, family drama, Raising Dion, based on commercial and music video director Dennis Liu’s short film about an African-American single mother who discovers her young son has multiple, constantly changing abilities. The project comes from Liu, Creed star Michael B. Jordan, who will have a supporting role, veteran showrunner Carol Barbee (UnReal, Judging Amy), writer-producer Michael Green (American Gods, Logan) and Charles D. King’s MACRO (Fences).

Barbee wrote the adaptation of the Liu-directed Raising Dion short film, which accompanied the comic book of the same name Liu wrote with illustrations by Jason Piperberg. She will serve as showrunner on the series and will executive produce alongside Liu, who will direct; Jordan, through his Outlier Society Productions; MACRO’s King, Kim Roth and Poppy Hanks; Kenny Goodman; and Green.

Raising Dion, a Netflix production, follows the story of a woman named Nicole Reese, who raises her son Dion after the death of her husband Mark (Jordan). The normal dramas of raising a son as a single mom are amplified when Dion starts to manifest several magical, superhero-like abilities. Nicole must now keep her son’s gifts secret with the help of Mark’s best friend Pat, and protect Dion from antagonists out to exploit him while figuring out the origin of his abilities.

“I started this project many years ago because I wanted to see more diverse representation on film and television and I’m excited to partner with Netflix, who I know shares that commitment,” Liu said. “More than ever, we need more stories told from different points of view and my hope with Raising Dion is to create a cinematic experience for all families that will lift your spirits and make you laugh and cry.”

Source: Deadline

Commentary: Like I said when I first heard about this project, it screamed TV series to me.  Netflix makes a lot of great shows, and I think they can bring some terrific life to this project.