The limited series The gray house advances at Paramount Global with consummate Hollywood stars Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman attached. Deadline reports green light has been given to The gray house, a six-hour Civil War spy drama series produced by Costner’s Territory Pictures along with Freeman and Lori McCreary’s Revelations Entertainment and Leslie Greif’s Big Dreams Entertainment. Costner will also executive produce, while Rod Lake and Howard Kaplan will produce for Territory Pictures along with Alex Kerr for Big Dreams Entertainment.
The gray house follows three women credited by General Ulysses S. Grant for helping the North win the Civil War. The series is written by Greif, Darrell Fetty (The Sacrifice) and John Sayles (Lonestar). Oscar nominee Roland Joffe (The Killing Fields) directs. Shooting is scheduled to begin this spring. From the Deadline report, a description of the story reads:
The gray house focuses on the unsung women who turned the tide of the American Civil War in favor of the North. A Richmond socialite and her daughter, a formerly enslaved African American, and a courtesan build the first successful women’s spy ring, operating under the noses of the Confederate High Command. They risk life and liberty to help win the war and preserve American democracy.
The Gray House is based on a true story
“The gray house is a never-before-told true story of three incredibly brave Civil War heroes who happened to be women,” said Costner, who previously had great success with a Civil War story as the star of Dancing with wolves. “With a passion for history, it is always personally satisfying to share richly layered stories of America’s unsung heroes. I am delighted to join forces with my friends Leslie Greif and Morgan Freeman with whom I have had great success producing this important, epic saga.”
“I’m excited to be working with our friends and industry legends Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman,” added Dan Cohen, Paramount Global’s Chief Content Licensing Officer. “Their taste in material is unparalleled. Combine that with a chance to team up again with Leslie Greif, who developed and produced the Paramount+ series hit The offerand this is a project that we are very much looking forward to bringing to a global audience.”
An additional statement from Freeman and McCreary reads: “Morgan and I are excited to bring to life the story of Mary Bowser, who volunteered to be placed in the ‘Confederate White House’ (aka The Gray House), pretending to be an enslaved person Everyone thought she was illiterate and so they spoke freely for her, and with her photographic memory she was able to send combat and classified information to the Union army and turn the tide of the civil war. Revelation is all about revealing the truth and this is a truth that must be revealed!”
No release date has been set for The gray house.