Zayn Malik behind TV drama series based on One Direction

Former One Direction member Zayn Malik is Executive Producer of a new one-hour drama for America’s NBC network based on a boy band. Malik has joined forces with long-time US TV producer Dick Wolf, best known for creating the Law & Order franchise.

“Dick Wolf is a legend,” Malik relayed. “The opportunity to work with him and NBC to create a compelling drama series is awesome.” 

The series, titled Boys, will centre on the formation of a boy band, detailing the fun and excitement of being in a global hit act – and also the pressures that come with success.

The latter is something Malik would be aware of. While his solo career has exploded, with debut album Mind Of Mine entering the US charts at #1, the 23-year old recently cancelled two shows due to anxiety issues.

“Zayn certainly brings an authentic point of view to this world where kids are catapulted into fame at a dizzying speed,” President of NBC Entertainment, Jennifer Salke, said.

Malik himself is set to write autobiography that will ’reveal the secrets behind the clean image’ of One Direction, according to reports last month. According to early hype, it will go behind the clean-cut image promoted by the band’s well-oiled promo machine and cause ruffles in that camp. He quit the band on March 25 last year just ahead of a Jakarta show, and apparently riled ID’s mentor and manager Simon Cowell with comments like calling ID’s music “generic as f---" in Fader magazine last December.

It’s not certain if Malik will make an on-screen appearance on Boys. The idea for it was generated by Noelle Wolf (Dick’s wife) and was written by Beauty and The Beast co-creators Sherri Cooper-Landsman and Jennifer Levin. The show is the team-up of Universal TV, Wolf Entertainment, Unigram and First Access Entertainment. 

It will be the latest music-themed show to hit the small screen, behind Nashville, Empire, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Vinyl. Presumably it will eventually hit Australian screens down the track.