National Geographic Channel has ordered a pilot script for the David Oyelowo-helmed The Black 22s, the network said Tuesday.

The Black 22s (working title) focuses on the first all-black police squad based in St. Louis that battled Prohibition-era crime while being set up to fail by their own bosses during one of the most racially charged times in history, said network officials.

Oyelowo (Selma) will serve as executive producer of the series along with  Paul Guyot (TNT’s The Librarians) John Rogers (The Librarians) and Jennifer Court. Guyot will pen the pilot script and serve as showrunner for the series.

"This pitch gave me goosebumps from beginning to end. It is a moving, muscular and resonant story that perfectly exemplifies the adage that truth is stranger and more compelling than fiction,” said executive vice president of global scripted programming & production, Carolyn Bernstein. “It also represents the kind of timely and provocative storytelling that I hope will become a hallmark of Nat Geo’s new scripted initiative."