PARK CITY, UTAH—At the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, the creative team behind the new BET series Boomerang stopped by the Complex Studio to make one thing clear: This ain't ya mama's Boomerang. Executive producer Lena Waithe, director Dime Davis, and showrunner Ben Cory Jones want viewers to expect something "new, fresh, and different."
"That would be so basic for us to just rehash the movie," says Waithe. "This is the opposite of basic, 'cause if you want basic you gotta go somewhere else. If you want something dope and fresh and special, come see us on BET."
Back in 1992, Eddie Murphy starred in the titular romcom as Marcus Graham, a womanizing ad exec in NYC who gets his heart broken when he meets his match in colleague Jacqueline Broyer, played by Robin Givens. Then he falls for artist colleague Angela Lewis (Halle Berry), who had been there holding him down the whole time. The series version, which premiered Feb. 12, picks up where executive producers Lena Waithe and Halle Berry imagine the film left off. Marcus and Angela started their own ad firm, The Graham Agency, their daughter Simone works there, and Jacqueline's son Bryson works there too. Bryson is hopelessly in love with Simone, but she's so busy trying to step out of her dad's shadow she won't give him the time of day.
Another modern choice the creative team made is the casting of rapper Joey Badass as Camden, another suitor vying for Simone's heart. "I think Joey is tremendously talented, and he adds something to the cast that nobody else does," says Davis, the director.
Waithe, Davis, and Jones were visibly excited as they teased a love triangle involving Joey that they're sure will have the audience passionately choosing sides between #TeamCamden and #TeamBryson. By now, we know we can trust Lena Waithe and Co., but to see how it all plays out, watch Boomerang on Tuesdays on BET.
