Tessa Thompson Lands Lead Role in Upcoming Netflix Thriller Series Set in the Suburbs
Netflix Secures ‘Next Door’ from Sam Boyd and A24
In a competitive landscape, Netflix has officially acquired Next Door, a new television series created by Love Life’s Sam Boyd in collaboration with A24. The project will feature Tessa Thompson, known for her roles in Hedda and His & Hers, as both a star and producer. Sources indicate that development is moving quickly, with a writers’ room being assembled.
Next Door is produced by Joe Hipps at A24’s Cut To. A24 previously secured Boyd’s original spec script during a highly contested bidding war last year, leading to an internal development process that included Thompson’s attachment before pitching the project outward.
Although specific plot details remain undisclosed, insiders describe Next Door as a dark comedic thriller exploring marriage and paranoia in contemporary American suburbs. The narrative draws inspiration from films such as Little Children and Rear Window.
Little Children, directed by Todd Field, was released in 2006 and features Kate Winslet as an unsatisfied housewife embroiled in an affair with her married neighbor, played by Patrick Wilson. Rear Window, a classic from 1954 directed by Alfred Hitchcock, follows Jeff (James Stewart) as he suspects foul play in the murder of a neighbor’s wife, a plot that escalates through his voyeuristic tendencies.
In Next Door, Boyd will serve as writer, director, showrunner, and executive producer. Thompson joins him as an executive producer alongside Kishori Rajan under their banner, Viva Maude, and Hipps of Cut To.
Both Netflix and A24 have opted not to comment on the project.
Sam Boyd, acclaimed for his work as creator and co-showrunner of HBO Max’s Love Life, has also directed episodes of Tell Me Lies for Hulu and the Peacock film Genie, featuring Melissa McCarthy. Boyd made his directorial feature debut with the romantic dramedy In a Relationship, which he also wrote and produced. He is represented by UTA, Untitled, and Hansen Jacobson Teller.
Tessa Thompson, who recently received a Golden Globe nomination for her role in Hedda, co-stars and serves as an executive producer on the Netflix series His & Hers. Her impressive filmography includes titles like Thor: Ragnarok, the Creed franchise, Passing, Sorry to Bother You, and Westworld. In addition to her acting work, she has also produced Hedda through Viva Maude, along with the upcoming film Is God Is and the documentary Seeds, which premiered at Sundance.
Under Hipps’ A24 partnership, Cut To successfully sold Discretion, featuring Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning, and Trigger Point, starring Joel Edgerton, both of which received straight-to-series orders.
