(AllHipHop News) Filmmaker Boots Riley captured the attention of many cinephiles when he presented his 2018 feature film directorial debut Sorry to Bother You. The mind-bending dark comedy caused a lot of conversation and took home an Independent Spirit Award.
Riley has now announced he is working on a new visual project. The Bronx-raised actor Jharrel Jerome is apparently attached to the forthcoming television series titled I’m A Virgo.
“I have a show about a 13-ft tall Black man who lives in Oakland. It’s called I’m A Virgo. Jharrel Jerome is playing the lead. I’m doing this [with] Michael Ellenberg’s Media Res. We haven’t decided on the network/streamer. It’ll be dark, absurd, hilarious, and important,” tweeted Riley.
I have a show
about a 13-ft tall Black man who lives in Oakland.It’s called I’m A Virgo.
Jharrel Jerome is playing the lead.
I’m doing this w Michael Ellenberg’s Media Res. We haven’t decided on the network/streamer.
It’ll be dark, absurd, hilarious, and important. pic.twitter.com/pzOGDxMaaO
— Boots Riley (@BootsRiley) June 22, 2020
Jerome’s first major acting role came in Barry Jenkins’s Oscar-winning motion picture Moonlight. The 22-year-old went on to win an Emmy Award for his portrayal of Korey Wise in Ava DuVernay’s Netflix miniseries When They See Us.
Michael Ellenberg launched the TV and film production company Media Res in 2017. While working as an executive at HBO, Ellenberg helped developed series such as Westworld, The Leftovers, Big Little Lies, True Detective, and The Deuce. Media Res currently produces the Apple TV+ program The Morning Show which stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
Besides being a director and screenwriter, Boots Riley is also a seasoned Hip Hop artist. He is a member of the Bay Area group known as The Coup. In 2012, the band released the studio LP Sorry to Bother You. Plus, The Coup spearheaded Sorry to Bother You: The Soundtrack.