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Kimberly Houk ReportingHBO is coming out with a new drama series aimed at portraying what it's like to live as a polygamist in Utah. Actor-producer Tom Hanks, best known for starring in movies like Forrest Gump and Castaway, is behind the project, saying Utah polygamists are ready for the prime time.
HBO and Tom Hank's production company are keeping tight lipped about what the series will exactly be about, but what we do know is the show will try to depict what everyday life is like for a polygamist living in Utah.
A source for the network says the series will try to be fair about how they depict the lifestyle, and they plan on coming up with storylines that will detail the day-to-day life of a polygamist man who lives in Utah with his three wives. It will be a modern day portrayal of a fictional family. The polygamist man will be played by actor Bill Paxton.
Mary Batchelor, a former polygamist wife who lives in Salt Lake City tells Eyewitness News that filmmakers recently contacted her, asking if they could sit in on a meeting with the Owen Allred polygamist group. She says the filmmakers wanted a better idea of how polygamists dress.
Vicky Prunty, of Tapestry Against Polygamy, who's also a former polygamist wife says she hopes the writers of the show do their research so they can accurately portray what living in polygamy is really like. She's also trying to imagine what some of the storylines will be about.
Vicky Prunty , Tapestry Against Polygamy: “I can't imagine them showing the women stocking up on Monistat to prevent their yeast infections, or the scenario each wife sleeping in quarters next to each other. I hope that they have sound proof doors."
The new series will be called "Big Love" and it's set to air on HBO sometime next summer.
