Flint water crisis docudrama headed to Lifetime

The stories of Flint, Michigan, residents poisoned by lead in drinking water soon will be captured in a made-for-TV movie. Flint — based on “The Toxic Tap,” Time‘s February cover story — is in fast-track development at Lifetime, EW has learned.

Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (The Wiz Live!, The Sound of Music, Chicago) optioned the rights of journalist Josh Sanburn’s Feb. 1 story through Sony Pictures Television. Sanburn is set to serve as a consultant on the project.

The docudrama will explore how nearly 100,000 residents received contaminated water from the Flint River starting in 2014.

The crisis has become a hot-button issue in Hollywood, as a group of celebrities from Flint held a concert to benefit victims and Cher donated 180,000 bottles of water to residents.

This marks yet another turn towards heavy, dramatic fare for Lifetime. The network also impressed with its sharp drama, UnREAL, which premiered last summer and returns for a second season on June 6.