Alena Smith is developing an original drama, “All Boys,” for Netflix, Variety has learned exclusively from sources.
The series is said to be set at an all-boys boarding school in New England and follow a teacher who is himself an alumnus of the school. Now a middle-aged man with a family, he struggles with his own midlife issues while trying to prepare this new generation of young people for the future.
Smith is the series’ creator and writer, with Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps Entertainment also involved in production through an overall deal with Netflix.
A representative for Netflix did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment.
Smith is best known as the creator of the Apple TV series “Dickinson,” a comedic and anachronistic look at the childhood of famed poet Emily Dickinson. The series, starring Hailee Steinfeld, was one of the first shows launched under the then-Apple TV banner. Notable guest stars also include John Mulaney, Zosia Mamet, Billy Eichner, Wiz Khalifa, and Chloe Fineman. It ended up airing for three seasons and 30 episodes, and won a Peabody Award for its first season in 2019.
In addition to directing the series finale, Smith served as showrunner and executive producer on “Dickinson.” The costumes, props, and set pieces were then used in the renovation of the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Smith is also currently working on an Audrey Hepburn biopic starring Lily Collins for Imagine Entertainment and Case Study Films, and is executive producing the FX limited series Cry Wolf starring Olivia Colman and Brie Larson.
She began her career in television as a staff writer during the third season of HBO’s hit series The Newsroom. She then went on to work as a writer and co-producer on the critically acclaimed Showtime drama The Affair. Additionally, she is also an accomplished playwright and has published works such as “Icebergs,” “The Bad Guys,” and “The New Honesty.” The Bad Guys was later made into a film starring Glen Powell in 2018.
She is represented by WME.
