The Humor Mill

Eric Andre-Lil Rel Howery’s New Prank Comedy Film Titled ‘Bad Trip’ To Be Released In October

Orion Pictures has set an Oct. 25 domestic release for the hidden-camera prank comedy “Bad Trip,” from “Jackass” producer Jeff Tremaine with Eric Andre and Lil Rel Howery starring.

Orion noted that “Bad Trip” is the first hidden-camera narrative film released in theaters since Paramount debuted “Bad Grandpa” in 2013. “Bad Grandpa,” which starred Johnny Knoxville, was made for $15 million and grossed $151 million worldwide.

“Bad Trip” follows two best friends on a cross-country road trip full of pranks, pulling its real-life audience into the action. The film is directed by Kitao Sakurai (Adult Swim’s “The Eric Andre Show”) and produced by David Bernad (“The Mule”), Andre, Ruben Fleischer (“Venom”), and Tremaine.

“Eric and Rel’s hilarious performances combined with spectacular, groundbreaking pranks will make ‘Bad Trip’ the defining prank movie for a new generation. We’re incredibly proud to debut the next in line to ‘Borat’ and ‘Bad Grandpa,’” Bernad and Fleischer said in a joint statement.

Orion was re-launched in 2017 by Metro Goldwyn Mayer as a standalone U.S. theatrical marketing and distribution company. It’s releasing Nicholas McCarthy’s supernatural horror thriller “The Prodigy, starring Taylor Schilling, Jackson Robert Scott, and Colm Feore, on Feb. 8, and the reimagining of “Child’s Play,” starring Aubrey Plaza, Brian Tyree Henry, and Gabriel Bateman, on June 21.

Source: Variety

HBO Orders Robin Thede’s ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’ To Be Produced By Issa Rae

HBO has given a series order to A Black Lady Sketch Show, a half-hour sketch comedy starring and executive produced by Robin Thede (The Rundown with Robin Thede) and executive produced by Insecure‘s Issa Rae.

Created, written by and starring Thede, A Black Lady Sketch Show will be breaking new ground in sketch comedy TV.  It will feature narrative sketches performed by a core cast of black women, including Thede, as well as celebrity guests. The show also will be written and directed by an array of black women.

Lauren Ashley Smith, who was head writer on Thede’s BET! late-night show The Rundown with Robin Thede, will serve in the same capacity on A Black Lady Sketch Show. She also will co-executive produce.

Thede executive produces with Rae via her Issa Rae Productions, Dave Becky and Jonathan Berry for 3 Arts Entertainment as well as Tony Hernandez and Brooke Posch for JAX Media, which produced The Rundown. Deniese Davis, Montrel McKay produce for Issa Rae Productions and John Skidmore produces for JAX Media.

The project falls under Rae’s overall deal with HBO.

Comedian and writer Thede created, executive produced and hosted The Rundown with Robin Thede, which aired on BET for one season. Prior, she was the head writer & a correspondent for The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore on Comedy Central and head writer for the 2016 White House Correspondents Dinner, making her the first African-American woman head writer in late night and for the WHCD. She has appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies, including Difficult People, Key & Peele, A Haunted House, Goodwin Games, among others. She is also currently developing an untitled comedy for ABC.

Rae has received a lead comedy actress Emmy nomination for her HBO series Insecure. Rae’s web series, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, was the recipient of the Shorty Award for Best Web Show and her first book, a collection of essays, is a New York Times bestseller. Rae made her film debut in The Hate U Give, and will also star in Universal’s upcoming Little.

A longtime writer and producer, Smith has previously worked on comedy/variety programs, including Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Bravo), Fashion Queens (Bravo), and Best Week Ever (VH1).

Thede is repped by WME and Del Shaw Rae is represented by UTA, 3 Arts Entertainment and attorney John v. Meigs Jr.

Source: Deadline

‘The Neighborhood’ Renewed At CBS With ‘FBI’ And ‘Magnum P.I.’

CBS is beginning to solidify its 2019-2020 scripted roster.

The network on Friday handed out second-season renewals to the freshman dramas FBI and Magnum P.I. and the comedy The Neighborhood. They represent the first round of renewals at the network and join the previously announced 15th and final season of Criminal Minds.

“Each of these distinctive shows has made their mark in a variety of ways,” CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl said in making the pickups. “Our goals this season were to introduce new series that audiences are passionate about, add more strength to a winning schedule and create more inclusive programming.”

Added Thom Sherman, senior executive vp programming: “We’re thrilled by the creative direction and performance of these three shows as they continue to grow in popularity and resonate with the network’s viewers.”

FBI, from Law & Order mastermind Dick Wolf, is CBS’ No. 1 new series and is averaging 13 million viewers per week. The Universal Television and CBS TV Studios co-production got off to a rocky start with multiple showrunner changes. The drama is now on its third showrunner. Greg Plageman was brought in to right the FBI ship following Craig Turk’s departure in late July. Turk, who wrote the pilot, stepped down after creative differences on the procedural, which also underwent some recasting after the pilot. Person of Interest‘s Plageman returned to CBS to get the series back on track and exited to focus on development. Chicago showrunners Rick Eid and Derek Haas replaced Plageman as co-showrunners on FBI in addition to running NBC’s Wolf-produced Chicago PD and Chicago Fire, respectively. Haas has now departed FBI and will focus only on Chicago Fire. Executive producers include Terry Miller, Arthur W. Forney and Peter Jankowski.

Magnum P.I., a reboot of the Tom Selleck procedural starring Jay Hernandez, has helped CBS improve its Monday at 9 p.m. slot by 32 percent. The series is produced in-house at CBS TV Studios, where showrunner Peter M. Lenkov is under a rich overall deal. Should CBS renew Hawaii Five-0 and MacGyver, Lenkov would continue to have three series on the network next season. Eric Guggenheim, Justin Lin, John Davis, John Fox and Danielle Woodrow exec produce the co-production between CBS TV Studios and Universal TV, which owns the rights to the original.

The Neighborhood, meanwhile, averages nearly 8 million total viewers on Mondays. Cedric the Entertainer and Tichina Arnold star opposite Max Greenfield and Beth Behrs in the fish-out-of-water family comedy. The series is produced in-house at CBS TV Studios and Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment. Jim Reynolds serves as showrunner and exec produces alongside Dana Honor, Wendi Trilling, Cedric and Eric Rhone.

The renewals arrive as CBS is heading full steam into pilot season as David Nevins, who expanded his oversight to include both the broadcast network and Showtime, is weighing in on scripts and the overall direction of the network after CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves was ousted. The network has multiple drama pilots and a pair of comedies currently in the works for 2019-2020.

All told, FBI, Magnum P.I. and The Neighborhood represent the first series from the 2018-2019 freshman class to be picked up for a second season. All three received additional episode orders (nine for FBI and The Neighborhood and seven for Magnum). Still to be determined are the fates of fellow rookies The Code, Fam, God Friended Me, Happy Together and The Red Line. The freshmen series Happy Together and Murphy Brown also remain in contention, though neither received additional episode orders after launching in the fall.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Comedian Ramy Youssef Sets His First Stand Up Special At HBO; To Be Produced By Jerrod Carmichael

Comedian Ramy Youssef is set to star in his first HBO stand-up comedy special, to be taped before a live audience in New York City this spring. The exclusive hour-long presentation will be executive produced by Youssef and Jerrod Carmichael, produced by A24 and directed by Chris Storer.

“Ramy is an incredibly unique talent and we’re so excited to be presenting his first stand-up special,” said Nina Rosenstein, executive vice president, HBO Programming.

Youssef’s credits include “Mr. Robot” and his upcoming series “Ramy.”

The special will be produced for HBO by A24; executive producers, Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael; directed by Chris Storer.

 

Kevin Hart Partnering With STX On Two Comedy Films

Kevin Hart is partnering with STXfilms to produce on a pair of comedy movies through his HartBeat Productions with an eye to star in both projects.

The announcement comes on the heels of Hart’s solid box office performance in “The Upside,” in which he co-stars with Bryan Cranston. STX’s comedic drama, co-produced with Lantern Entertainment, topped expectations by opening in first place at the North American box office and has generated $47 million in its first 11 days of release.

“STX came in to make ‘The Upside’ the success it is. Their strategy, execution and collaborative approach are perfectly aligned with HartBeat Productions’ values,” said Hart. “It was an easy ‘yes’ when they pitched us two new ideas to produce together.”

The first project is a body switching comedy titled “Black Friday” and based on a story by Doan La. The second is an untitled international romantic comedy that’s looking to attach a writer. Hart and John Cheng, HartBeat’s president of production, will produce both titles. HartBeat’s Carli Haney will oversee with STXfilms’ Drew Simon.

“It’s crystal clear audiences love Kevin and they want to see him in a variety of roles,” said Adam Fogelson, chairman of STXfilms. “This partnership allows STXfilms to take the successful collaboration we started with ‘The Upside’ and extend it to new projects that further build on our mission to work with the best in the business to grow our profitable business model.”

Cheng added, “STX has a proven ability to tell crowd-pleasing, globally appealing stories in the mid-budget sweet spot. When they approached Kevin and me with pitches that we felt we could creatively sink our teeth into, we recognized we were in good hands with an innovative partner that would help us produce two funny and original films with the potential to reach audiences around the world.”

The announcement is another signal that the busy Hart has moved beyond last month’s selection as host of this year’s Academy Awards and his bowing out following controversy surrounding past homophobic tweets. Earlier this month, Lionsgate said Hart had been in talks to star in the studio’s live-action Monopoly movie, which he will also produce through HartBeat Productions.

Hart’s collaborations with Lionsgate include the joint venture Laugh Out Loud channel, the unscripted TV series “Kevin Hart: What the Fit” for YouTube, and the concert film “Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain.” His HartBeat Productions produced “Night School,” the TV series “The Next Level,” and “Hart of the City” on Comedy Central.

STXfilms’ upcoming slate of films include “Best of Enemies” “UglyDolls” and “Poms.”

Hart is represented by UTA, 3 Arts and Schreck Rose Dapello & Adams. La is represented by the Gersh Agency.

Source: Variety

 

Kevin Barnett, Comedian and Co-Creator of ‘Rel,’ Dies At 32

He appeared on and wrote for ‘Rel’ and ‘The Carmichael Show’ and had a small role in the film ‘Dumb and Dumber To.’

Comedian Kevin Barnett, who co-created the Fox series Rel with Lil Rel Howery and Josh Rabinowitz, has died. Ben Kissel, who hosted the podcast Round Table of Gentlemen with Barnett, confirmed the news on Twitter.

“Dear Last Podcast family,” Kissel wrote. “It’s with a heavy heart we inform you of the passing of Kevin Barnett. The joy he brought to our lives is the greatest gift we have ever received. Remind your friends you love them because you never know when you’re [sic] see them again. We love you KB.”

Comedy Central also remembered Barnett, tweeting, “Kevin Barnett was an incredible comedian and writer, contributing to Broad City, the stand-up community and beyond. He’ll be greatly missed.”

A cause of death is unknown. Barnett was in his early 30s.

Barnett was a stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He appeared on episodes of Rel and The Carmichael Show, both of which he also served as a writer on, in addition to a small role on the film Dumb and Dumber To.

As a writer, Barnett worked on the 2016 film The Do-Over and 2011’s Hall Pass. He also had three projects currently in production.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

WATCH: New Trailer For ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’ Released!

In this third installment of the adrenaline-fueled action franchise, super-assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) returns with a $14 million price tag on his head and an army of bounty-hunting killers on his trail. After killing a member of the shadowy international assassin’s guild, the High Table, John Wick is excommunicado, but the world’s most ruthless hit men and women await his every turn. Summit Entertainment presents, a Thunder Road Films production, in association with 87Eleven Productions.

Dave Chappelle Says R. Kelly And His “Goons” Threatened Him Over Skit!

Dave Chappelle says R. Kelly and his “goons” bum-rushed him over his famous skit mocking the singer’s urination video — but Dave’s sense of humor definitely saved the day.

The comic hopped onstage at the WeHo Improv Monday night with his friend and “Chappelle’s Show” costar, Donnell Rawlings. Dave revealed Kelly and his crew approached him in Chicago — during a Common concert — and made it clear they were, umm … pissed about his “Piss on You” skit.

Dave says things never got physical, but he says Kelly grilled him about the skit and asked how he could possibly have done such a thing.

The irony of that question was not lost on Dave, who had the most awesome and hilarious response.  Check out the video … classic story.

Chappelle also addressed some of the criticism he’s faced in the wake of Lifetime’s “Surviving R. Kelly” docuseries — saying he wants comedians to call out things that are wrong with the world, period.

We asked Dave about the criticism this week — but he opted to let his pal, D.L. Hughley, do most of the talking that night.

Source: TMZ

 

 

DJ Khaled Joins ‘Bad Boys For Life’

DJ Khaled has rounded out the cast of Sony’s upcoming “Bad Boys” sequel “Bad Boys for Life,” joining returning stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.

Khaled will also join series newcomers Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Jacob Scipio, and Paola Nuñez. Joe Pantoliano is on board to return as Captain Howard.

Production is currently underway.

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are on hand to direct the sequel from a script by Peter Craig (“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay,” “Transformers”) with Joe Carnahan also doing a rewrite. Chris Bremmer is the current writer.

Jerry Bruckheimer returns as producer. Doug Belgrad will also produce, as will Smith. Barry Waldman, Mike Stenson, Chad Oman, and James Lassiter are executive producers.

The story revolves around a modern, highly specialized police unit that collides with the old school Bad Boys (Smith and Lawrence) when a new threat emerges in Miami. The pic will bow on Jan. 17, 2020.

It is currently unknown who Khaled will be playing in the movie.

The hit-making music producer has slowly started dipping his toe in acting, having already shot the Jamie Foxx film “All Star Weekend” and also recently lent his voice to the cast of the Fox Animation movie “Spies in Disguise.” He is repped by UTA.

Source: Variety

Kevin Hart To Star In New Film ‘Monopoly’, A Live-Action Adaptation Based On The Board Game

Director Tim Story is closing a deal to direct Monopoly, a live-action adaptation based on the board game of the same name. The USC alum, who has directed films such as Barbershop, Taxi and Fantastic Four, will reunite with comedian Kevin Hart, who is attached to star in the film. This marks the fourth time Hart and Story have worked on a project together. The pair previously collaborated on Think Like A Man and Ride Along, as well as their respective sequels, Think Like A Man Too and Ride Along 2.

A plot for Monopoly is being kept under wraps. While a writer and shoot date for the film has not been announced as of yet, the film is slated to be produced by Hart, Carli Henry and John Chang under Hart’s production label, HartBeat Productions. Story will executive produce Monopoly alongside Sharla Shumper.

Source: Deadline, Shadow & Act
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