According to a recent rumour from Deadline, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the team behind Captain Marvel, will script, direct, and produce the new drama Freaky Tales for eOne and Macro. The film is being hailed as a “love letter” to Fleck’s formative influences in the areas of music, film, sports, politics, geography, and memory (both real and imagined). Four pieces, all set in Oakland, California in 1987, will make up the anthology.
Although the stories all seem to take place in our world at first glance, the Oakland of Freaky Tales “hover[s] just outside our knowable cosmos,” as the article puts it. It’s possible to reach out & touch it, but your fingers are going to get sticky. By its name and description, Freaky Tales seems like it takes place in another reality; but, considering Boden and Fleck’s preference for fully realised storylines centred around its core character, viewers can anticipate a nostalgic trip with a dash of gripping drama.
The makers reportedly feel it is crucial to feature Oakland hip-hop veteran Todd Shaw, aka Too $hort, as he was a major part of the city’s music culture in the 1980s. After a meeting with Boden and Fleck, Shaw decided to executive produce together with his manager David Weintraub because of the film’s potential to showcase his songs. In 2019, the duo wrote and directed Captain Marvel, the first female-led superhero picture in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The 1990s-set film, which featured Oscar winner Brie Larson and Marvel Cinematic Universe mainstay Samuel L. Jackson, was a massive financial success, grossing over $1.1 billion throughout the world.
After that, Boden and Fleck joined the cast of Mrs America, a limited series developed by Dahvi Waller and nominated for an Emmy. The political drama, starring Cate Blanchett and Rose Byrne, chronicled the radical split over the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s. In addition to their work on movies like Sugar and Mississippi Grind, the duo has shown experience with historical works, meaning Freaky Tales is in capable hands. Other executive producers include James Lopez and Charles D. King. Macro’s Jelani Johnson and Poppy Hanks, along with eOne, will produce the film. Yet, we have no more information regarding the project.