‘MacGruber’ Revival, Transgender Drama From Laverne Cox Among Peacock Projects in Development
Ahead of its formal debut Thursday, NBCUniversal has put six projects in development at Peacock, including a revival of Will Forte’s “MacGruber.”
Additional projects include a transgender themed drama executive produced by and starring Laverne Cox, a comedy based on the McElroy family’s “Dungeons & Dragons” podcast, and others from Amy Poehler and Mindy Kaling.
“MacGruber” will see Forte return as his “SNL” character, a spoof of “MacGyver.” The character appeared in a number sketches and starred in a 2010 movie alongside Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe, Val Kilmer and Maya Rudolph. The character was created by Jorma Taccone, a member of The Lonely Island musical comedy group that also featured “SNL” alum Andy Samberg.
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In the Peacock revival, MacGruber gets out of prison after more than a decade. Here is the rest of the logline from NBCU:
His mission: to take down a mysterious villain from his past–Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth. With the entire world in the crosshairs, MacGruber (Will Forte), Vicki, and Piper must race against time to defeat the forces of evil. Only to find that evil… may be lurking within.
Taccone will write and executive produce with Forte and John Solomon. The series is from Universal Television. Lorne Michaels, John Goldwyn, Andrew Singer and Erin David will executive produce as well.
The Laverne Cox-led series, “Clean Slate,” comes from Sony. It will star Cox as a transgender woman, Denise, who reconnects with her father (George Wallace) after a 17-year absence. Cox will write and executive produce with Wallace and Dan Ewan. Norman Lear and Brent Miller will executive produce, with Paul Hilepo as a producer.
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Peacock is also developing an animated series, “The Adventure Zone,” based on the McElroy family’s “Dungeons & Dragons” podcast and graphic novel series, as well as “Expecting” from Mindy Kaling, and the Amy Poehler-produced “Division One.”
Peacock will launch in April. The streaming service will be formally unveiled Thursday afternoon in New York during a Comcast investor day presentation.
Here is the rest of the slate in NBCU’s words:
*The Adventure Zone*
Based on the McElroy Family’s wildly popular Dungeons & Dragons podcast and #1 NY Times Bestselling graphic novel series–“The Adventure Zone” is a side-splitting and heart-filled fantasy animated comedy series that follows an unlikely, poorly equipped trio and their beleaguered Dungeon Master as they reluctantly embark on a quest to save their world.
Executive Producers: Clint McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, Griffin McElroy
Writer/Executive Producer: Adam Higgs
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*Expecting*
Ellie, a fiercely independent but perpetually single music manager, has always wanted a family but never found a man worthy of the role of “father.” That is, until her 39th birthday, when she decides to ask her gay best friend and co-worker, Jonathan, if he’ll be her sperm donor. When Jonathan surprises himself by saying “yes,” it sets off a chain of events that turn Ellie and Jonathan’s personal and professional lives upside down as they try to turn their “chosen family” into a biological family.
Writer/Executive Producer: Chris Schleicher
Executive Producers: Mindy Kaling, Howard Klein
Studio: Warner Bros.
*Division One*
Division One is a coming-of-age comedy about an underdog women’s collegiate soccer team that gets a new female coach – a former professional soccer player who’s fallen from grace – and must decide whether or not they’re going to take the risk of trying to be great.
Writer/Director/Executive Producer: Maggie Carey
Writer/Executive Producer: Julia Brownell
Executive Producers: Amy Poehler (Paper Kite), Abby Wambach & Glennon Doyle, Kim Lessing (Paper Kite), Dave Becky & Tom Lassally (3 Arts Entertainment)
Studio: Universal Television
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*Hatching Twitter*
Through exclusive access and exhaustive investigative reporting, New York Times best-selling author and Vanity Fair special correspondent Nick Bilton draws on hundreds of sources, documents, and internal e-mails to tell intimate true stories of companies behaving badly and technology gone awry. The first installment of this anthology series will be based on Bilton’s acclaimed book Hatching Twitter, a tale of betrayed friendships and high-stakes power struggles that accompanied the meteoric rise of the infamous tech company. 140 characters and a few lines of code changed the world, disrupting the very fabric of the way people communicate. This series will explore the real masterminds behind it all, how it was done, and the colossal ramifications the technology will have on our future.
Writer/Executive Producer: Nick Bilton
Executive Producer: Patrick Macmanus
Studio: UCP
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