As Issa Rae approaches the end of her five-year deal with HBO, the actress and entertainment mogul has revealed that she has been having a hard time settling on the right titles for her upcoming projects.
Ahead of receiving the Entertainment Entrepreneur Award at this week’s Variety Power of Women event, Rae spoke with Entertainment Tonight about her struggle to name her next releases under the HBO banner. She previously created and executive-produced the comedy-dramas Insecure, which she also starred in, and Rap Sh!t, which was cancelled after two seasons. Her next TV project is a buddy comedy centered around the Las Vegas boxing scene, but the series has yet to receive an official title.
Rae revealed that the show is currently in development and moving through the casting process before explaining that HBO has “rejected” several of the titles she has pitched.
“I’ve got to come better,” she said. “It makes sense. I’m not mad at the rejections. … I’m writing like a male show, so I have to listen to the men.”
In August, Deadline reported that the series is currently going by the working title Untitled Male Friendship Show. The story follows boxers and best friends Menzel and JB as they “navigate ambition, insecurity, loneliness, and the double-edged sword of success within the high-stakes world of professional boxing in Las Vegas.” Rae is attached as the show’s creator, writer, and executive producer.
Rae has also had a busy year outside of television. She starred in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and signed a three-year first-look film and television production deal with Paramount, according to Variety.
