Write On with 'Black Bird' Creator Dennis Lehane

Based on true events, Black Bird follows Jimmy Keene, a prison inmate who cuts a deal with the FBI to befriend a suspected serial killer in exchange for his freedom. Famed crime novelist and series creator Dennis Lehane discusses where he places his focus to make every project of his stand out: "Every single thing comes down to the characters - every single thing. I've always been character-centric, but never as much as when I started to really get into TV, because that's what it is... that's what people watch TV for... They watch it for an emotional journey of the main characters."

 

Lehane goes on to share his process for adapting source material for the screen: "My job is to be absolutely as true to the spirit of the novel as I can be. You should be able to read the novel, look at the TV show, and go, 'Oh, wow, it's the same thing...' It reaches the same conclusions about the human beings in the story, about humanity."

 

Black Bird is now streaming on Apple TV+.

 

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