The bestselling 1996 book about the rise of two prominent Atlanta families - one black and one white, has been optioned for a television series by Auburn Avenue Films.
“Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn: A Saga of Race and Family,” has optioned by the Atlanta-based film company run by Wendy Eley Jackson and Maynard Jackson III.
The book was written by Gary M. Pomerantz, a former Atlanta Journal-Constitution journalist and tells the stories of the Dobbs and Allen families, from whose bloodlines later produced two mayors, an famous opera singer and several business and civic leaders.
One was the decendant of slaves the other came from a wealthy Confederate family.
Each man helped shape the Southern city into a thriving beacon for black and whites.
Wendy Jackson said she first read the book in 1999 and again in 2013 when she married Dobbs’ great grandson, Maynard Jackson III.
The two Atlanta natives read it aloud together.
“The city rose from the ashes and this is the backstory to that- how Atlanta came to be this progressive urban city,” she said. “These two families had an understanding of what it was going to take to make this city progress. Gary did an amazing job showing the balance of power, the lineage and the love they had for their families.”
Maynard Jackon agreed "It's Atlanta history. It's American history.
He said he learned even more about his prominent ancestor reading the book.
They are in talks with two studios about the project.
" I could feel their interest. It was palpable. It was authentic,” said Pomerantz in a statement. "This story is deeply personal to them. I’ve always believed that the story of the Dobbses and the Allen’s was not only historic, but cinematic. It’s got drama, flashpoints and enormous historic sweep, from Civil War through civil rights.”
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This is not the first major project for the film company.
Auburn Avenue Films is also producing "MAYNARD”, a film about the life of former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson. It’s scheduled to be released in 2018. The film is directed by the award-winning Sam Pollard.
