Fresh off his Academy Award win for Best Original Screenplay, Jordan Peele is headed to Amazon.
The streaming giant has greenlit Lorena — a four-part docuseries about Lorena Bobbitt, who infamously sliced her husband’s penis off with a kitchen knife while he was asleep in 1993. Bobbitt claimed that she was driven to commit the crime due to husband John’s sexual, physical, and emotional abuse — and she was eventually found not guilty in a criminal trial for malicious wounding due to insanity.
Lorena will be told from Lorena Bobbitt’s perspective. And in the same way that Peele’s Get Out poignantly explored racism, Lorena will serve as a social critique with respect to timely issues including domestic violence and sexual assault, as well the way that the media covers tragedies in a sensationalist, around-the-clock loop. The series, which coincides with the 25th anniversary of the blood-curdling incident — will reveal hidden truths and challenge long-held misconceptions about Lorena Bobbitt’s story, according to Amazon.
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Peele will executive produce the project with Win Rosenfeld through his Monkeypaw Productions in collaboration with Joshua Rofé and Steven Berger of Number 19, and Jenna Santoianni and Tom Lesinski of Sonar Entertainment. The series will be directed by Rofé (Lost For Life), though a release date has not yet been set.
“When we hear the name ‘Bobbitt’, we think of one of the most sensational incidents to ever be catapulted into a full-blown media spectacle,” Peele said in a statement. “With this project, Lorena has a platform to tell her truth as well as engage in a critical conversation about gender dynamics, abuse, and her demand for justice. This is Lorena’s story and we’re honored to help her tell it.”
