What does it take to make a movie? That's one of the questions that Project Greenlight has always focused on. The docuseries, which premiered back in 2001 and has aired four seasons to date, is getting a refresh, but the basic goal is the same: see if an aspiring director has what it takes to make a successful movie.
The HBO series originally had Matt Damon and Ben Affleck headlining as producers and mentors, but in this new version, titled Project Greenlight: A New Generation, a pair of new well-known Hollywood creators help guide the young director. It also has a new home, officially becoming a Max original series.
Project Greenlight: A New Generation is a fun addition to the summer TV schedule. Here is everything you need to know about it.
Project Greenlight: A New Generation release date
All 10 episodes of Project Greenlight: A New Generation debut on Max on Thursday, July 13. In addition, the movie that was made as part of the series, Gray Matter, is also going to be available to watch the same day.
So, after watching everything that went into making the movie, you can see how Gray Matter turned out. Or, you could reverse engineer it, watching Gray Matter first and then seeing the behind-the-scenes story of it. The world is your oyster.
Project Greenlight: A New Generation premise
Here is the official synopsis of the Project Greenlight revival from Max:
"A reinvention of the critically acclaimed original Miramax Television and HBO series, Project Greenlight focuses on the next generation of talented female filmmakers who are given the chance to direct a feature film. Executive Producer Issa Rae along with Kumail Nanjiani and Gina Prince-Bythewood serve as mentors throughout the season. Project Greenlight pulls back the curtain on the filmmaking process from start to finish, offering a unique, 360-look into selected director Meko Winbush's experience as she directs her first feature film, Gray Matter."
Project Greenlight: A New Generation cast
Insecure's Issa Rae and Welcome to Chippendale's Kumail Nanjiani (who co-starred together in The Lovebirds) and The Woman King director Gina Prince-Bythewood, all serve as mentors to the selected filmmaker for Project Greenlight, Meko Winbush.
Others set to appear in the docuseries are producers of Gray Matter. They include Montrel McKay (Rap Sh!t), Sara Rastogi (Rap Sh!t), Jax Clark, Jeanette Volturno (The Invisible Man), Yolanda T. Cochran (The Book of Eli) and Celia Khong (Don't Worry Darling).
Project Greenlight: A New Generation trailer
Watch the trailer for Project Greenlight: A New Generation right here.
Gray Matter movie
The result of this season of Project Greenlight is the sci-fi movie Gray Matter. Here is the synopsis:
"The science fiction thriller directed by Meko Winbush centers on Ayla and her daughter Aurora, who both possess superhuman abilities. As Ayla attempts to train Aurora how to navigate these abilities, a tragic incident finds Aurora in control of her fate, and forces Ayla to confront the truth of her past."
The movie stars Jessica Frances Dukes (Ozark season 4), Mia Isaac (Don't Make Me Go) and Garret Dillahunt (Ambulance).
Watch the trailer for Gray Matter right here:
How to watch Project Greenlight: A New Generation
Project Greenlight: A New Generation is a Max original series, and as such is exclusively available to watch on the Max streaming service. Meaning if you want to watch then you are going to need a subscription, which ranges from $9.99 per month to $19.99 per month. There are also options to add Max as an add-on channel through other platforms, including Hulu, Prime Video and YouTube TV.
Previous seasons of Project Greenlight are also available to watch on Max.
