Oscar winning actress Octavia Spencer announced that she will be starring and executive producing a new project for The FX Network based on The Bobby Love Story. With the help of executive producers Kerry Washington and Jenni Konner, the one-hour drama will tell the story of Bobby Love, a Black escaped convict who kept his criminal history a secret from his wife Cheryl for 35-years. The couple will also have executive producer credits on the project.

The life of Bobby Love is a powerful story of survival in the South during the Jim Crowe years, where Love learned how to be a thief, landing him in trouble at age 13, which would have had him serving a 30-year sentence. After outsmarting his captors Bobby headed North to New York where he started a new life under a new name. Life seemed pretty good, with his wife and children until one day the FBI caught up with Bobby at his residence. 

According to a story posted by Humans Of New York about the couple, Cheryl Love relays what happened on that heartbreaking morning,

It was just a normal morning. Almost exactly five years ago. I was making tea in the kitchen. Bobby was still in bed. And we get this knock on the door. I opened it up slowly, and saw the police standing there. At first I wasn't worried. We had this crazy lady that lived next door, and the police were always checking up on her. So I assumed they had the wrong address. But the moment I opened the door, twelve officers came barging past me. Some of them had 'FBI' written on their jackets. They went straight back to the bedroom, and walked up to Bobby. I heard them ask: 'What's your name?' And he said, 'Bobby Love.' Then they said, 'No. What's your real name?' And I heard him say something real low. And they responded: 'You've had a long run.' That's when I tried to get into the room. But the officer kept saying: 'Get back, get back. You don't know who this man is.' Then they started putting him in handcuffs. It didn't make any sense. I'd been married to Bobby for forty years. He didn't even have a criminal record. At this point I'm crying, and I screamed: 'Bobby, what's going on?' Did you kill somebody?' And he tells me: 'This goes way back, Cheryl. Back before I met you. Way back to North Carolina.'

On October 5th the  couple's memoir, The Redemption of Bobby Love: A Story of Faith, Family, and Justice, was released and will work as the basis for the show which has yet to go into production or have a release date. Though with the talented creatives behind the show, it is sure to be a compelling watch. 

Tags: Octavia Spencer Kerry Washington FX Network television Bobby Love