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EXCLUSIVE: ViacomCBS teen brand Awesomeness is developing horror-comedy Mer from Orange Is the New Black alum Julie Lake and Liz Storm (Shelly, Lovely). Laura Prepon (Orange Is the New Black, That 70s Show) is attached to executive produce and direct the project.
Co-created by Lake and and her longtime writing partner Storm, Mer is described as a splashy horror-comedy about martini-swigging, man-eating mermaids on Martha’s Vineyard. The series explores a young woman grappling with newfound power and female metamorphosis through the point of view of a marginalized townie turned killer mermaid. The satirical horror-comedy unpacks feminist themes through the eyes of a girl who must live with the dual demands of her bleeding heart and a sudden urge to eat people.
Lake, Storm and Prepon executive produce.
Lake and Prepon worked together on all seven seasons of Netflix’s Emmy-winning series Orange is the New Black, where Lake portrayed Angie Rice and Prepon played Alex Vause.
Storm’s first short Traces was an Official Selection in the Palm Springs International Film Festival. As a screenwriter, she’s developed and written projects with Imagine Television, Team Todd, Broken Road Productions, Gil Netter Films, Mar Vista Entertainment and Bazelevs Productions, among others.
Lake is repped by Avalon, A3 Artists Agency and Jackoway Tyerman. Storm is repped by Verve, Romark Entertainment, and Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz. Prepon is repped by Gersh and Myman Greenspan.