UPDATED with the addition of a teaser trailer for the show at the bottom of the article.
As we reported on March 6th:
Freeform has given a 10 episode series order to a new genre show that's executive produced by Will Ferrell and his frequent collaborator Adam McKay. Created by Eliot Laurence, this show is called Motherland: Fort Salem and it's set in an alternate version of American where
witches ended their persecution 300 years ago by cutting a deal with the U.S. government to fight for their country.
The series will center on three young witches who have enlisted to use magic to fight for the United States. The show will follow them
from basic training in combat magic into early deployment. In this world, the traditional roles of gender and power are flipped, with the more dominant women on the front lines fighting looming terrorist threats that are familiar to our world — but with supernatural tactics and weapons.
Two of the three leads will be played by Taylor Hickson and Jessica Sutton (pictured above). Kelcey Mawema played the third lead in the pilot, but her role is being recast for the series.
Amalia Holm and Demetria McKinney are also in the cast.
Laurence is the showrunner and is executive producing alongside Ferrell, McKay, and Kevin Messick of Gary Sanchez Productions, as well as Maria Maggenti and Steven Adelson. Adelson directed the pilot.
McKay had this to say about the project being ordered to series:
So excited Freeform has given a platform to one of the most original writers working today; Eliot Laurence. Sanchez has worked with Eliot for years and he has astounded us yet again with the imaginative and layered world of Motherland: Fort Salem."
Tom Ascheim, president of Freeform, is also excited about this project and the chance to be able to tell
this story rich with female empowerment, complex storytelling and an incredibly creative canon. While set in an alternative universe, Motherland: Fort Salem will continue the authentic and issues-driven storylines that our network is known for, and what our audience has come to expect. We are thrilled to be working with Eliot, Will, Adam, and Kevin on this exceptionally creative tale and look forward to bringing this even further to life."
I'm thinking that telling a story about young witches fighting terrorists for America in an alternate reality should definitely make Motherland: Fort Salem stand out from every other show on TV.