After making one of the most acclaimed and financially successful horror films both last year and of all-time, Jordan Peele has no inclinations of slowing down or taking a step back. Having co-created one of TBS’ new comedy hits The Last O.G., announcing his next writing/directorial project starring Lupita N’yongo and Winston Duke, and now the Oscar winner has a comedy sci-fi anthology series Weird City which has been ordered by YouTube for a full season, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Co-created and written by Peele and Key & Peele writer Charlie Sanders, the series takes place in a metropolis city named Weird in the not-too-distant future with each of the six episodes depicting a day in the life of this city, with an emphasis on a combination of sci-fi and comedy.
“Writer/creator Sanders and I collaborated on some Key & Peele sketches that took on everything from the ‘Black Republicans’ to ‘Continental Breakfasts’ to ‘Family Matters’,” Peele said. “Now, with YouTube we present a series of comedy driven twisted-ass science fiction stories that take place in a world close to ours but just a little bit off.”
The series, which is currently aiming for a 2019 release date through YouTube Premium, will be produced by Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions and will see Adam Bernstein (Fargo) direct the first two episodes of the first season, as well as Jose Molina (The Tick) acting as showrunner. Peele originally had Weird City set at Hulu back in 2015 after developing it over a few years, and after moving his production company to Amazon Studios, the show will now debut through the Google-owned platform.
“We are thrilled to be in business with Jordan, Charlie and Jose, who have brilliantly created a highly entertaining satire that will be a timely send up of modern society,” YouTube content chief Susanne Daniels said. “We are excited to partner with Sonar Entertainment and all of the innovative storytellers behind Weird City to push boundaries and redefine what a comedy series can be.”
YouTube Premium, which used to be known as YouTube Red, is currently available for $13-a-month and offers subscribers ad-free video and music streaming, as well as access to original series including the acclaimed Karate Kid sequel, Cobra Kai, and Doug Liman-produced drama Impulse.
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