Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments‘ Alisha Wainwright has signed on to a lead role in Netflix’s Raising Dion. Netflix also announced newcomer Ja’Siah Young has been cast in the title role. The pair join previously confirmed cast members Michael B. Jordan, Jason Ritter, and Jazmyn Simon in the series created by music video director Dennis Liu. (The series is based on Liu’s short film.)
Liu, Carol Barbee, Charles D. King, Kim Roth, Poppy Hanks, Kenny Goodman, Michael Green, and Michael B Jordan (through his Outlier Society Productions) are executive producing. Barbee is the season one showrunner and wrote episode one’s script. Seith Mann is on board to direct the series’ first episode and will also executive produce.
Season one will be made up of 10 one-hour episodes. Netflix expects the series, described as a sci-fi drama, to premiere in 2019.
The Plot: Raising Dion, a Netflix production, follows the story of a woman named Nicole Reese, who raises her son Dion after the death of her husband Mark (Michael B. Jordan). The normal dramas of raising a son as a single mom are amplified when Dion starts to manifest several magical, superhero-like abilities. Nicole must now keep her son’s gifts secret with the help of Mark’s best friend Pat (Jason Ritter), and protect Dion from antagonists out to exploit him while figuring out the origin of his abilities.
Newcomer Ja’Siah Young will star as ‘Dion Reese,’ a curious, playful, and intelligent 7-year-old boy who is learning he has some very special abilities – he can move things with his mind. While exciting and cool, it’s also something he knows scares his mom, Nicole.
Alisha Wainwright will star as ‘Nicole Reese,’ a former professional dancer who gave it up to raise her son Dion when her husband Mark died. Although Nicole is completely overwhelmed by raising her son alone while dealing with the loss of her husband, she is still effortlessly cool and maintains a positive outlook on life for Dion. As Dion’s abilities become more and more apparent, Nicole’s protective nature heightens as she starts to fear for his safety.
