Boots Riley, who directed the 2018 satirical comedy hit Sorry To Bother You, has an upcoming TV show about a 13-ft tall Black man living in Oakland. Sorry To Bother You stars Lakeith Stanfield as Cassius Green, a young Black telemarketer who finds extreme success when he discovers he can put on a "white voice." The movie also stars Tessa Thompson and Armie Hammer. Sorry to Bother You was critically-acclaimed for its sharp humor and satirical take on race in America.
Announced by Riley on his Twitter, the new show is called I'm A Virgo, and will star Jharrel Jerome. Riley gives no further details about the plot, only stating that the show will be "dark, absurd, hilarious, and important," likely similar in tone to Sorry To Bother You. Working with Media Res, the production company of Michael Ellenberg (Prometheus, The Morning Show), there is no word yet on a network or streaming platform for release.
Jerome has been in a few noteworthy productions over the years, including Moonlight, which won three Oscars in 2017, and When They See Us, the limited series about the falsely-accused Central Park 5 created by Ava DuVernay. In When They See Us, Jerome portrays Korey Wise, who was wrongfully convicted and served 12 years in prison. The performance won Jerome his first Emmy.
Along with being a director and writer, Riley is also a rapper and vocal activist, coming from a family of social justice organizers. He consistently uses his work and platform to speak out in support of Black Lives Matter and other prominent issues, and still helps out with organizing protests and similar events. Following the topical and surreal comedy Sorry To Bother You, there are no limits to where Riley could go with I'm A Virgo. The director has provided no details about possible production or release dates at this time.
Source: Boots Riley/Twitter
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June 23, 2020 at 04:03AM
