Gbenga Akinnagbe is developing NBC drama Lewisburg based on his life

Deadline

The Wire, The Deuce and 24: Live Another Day alum is teaming with Corinne Brinkerhoff, the creator of CBS' short-lived drama American Gothic, on his semi-autobiographical series. "Written by Akinnagbe, Lewisburg follows a young man whose only way out of East Baltimore is his wrestling talent," per Deadline. "When he accepts an offer to join the nationally ranked team at a university in central Pennsylvania, however, he winds up grappling with much more than he ever imagined, including issues of race, class and the personal costs of confronting our most entrenched systems. The project draws parallels to the life of Akinnagbe, who attended Bucknell University on a wrestling scholarship."