Amazon has given a series order to “I’m a Virgo” from Boots Riley with Jharrel Jerome attached to star.
The half-hour series is described as an absurdist, coming of age story about a 13-foot-tall Black man (Jerome) who lives in Oakland, CA.
Riley wrote the series and will also direct. He serves as executive producer along with Michael Ellenberg of Media Res, Tze Chun, and Jerome. The series is a co-production between Amazon Studios and Media Res.
“I’m thrilled to be working with Amazon on this project,” said Riley. “This show will either have me lauded or banned, and as such, I have demanded payment up front.”
Riley’s first feature, “Sorry to Bother You,” was a critical smash when it debuted in 2018 at the Sundance Film Festival, earning a nomination for the Grand Jury Prize. He is best known for his two-decade run as leader of The Coup, a radical funk/punk/hip-hop band, where he penned six albums, including receiving pop album of the year by The Washington Post and the Associated Press, and hip hop album of the year by Rolling Stone.
He is repped by WME.
“’I’m A Virgo’ is refreshingly original and there’s nothing else like it on television,” said Albert Cheng, COO and co-head of television for Amazon Studios. “No one is quite like Boots, and we’re so excited to be working with him and Jharrel on this fantastical, funny, and utterly unique new series. We can’t wait for our Prime Video customers to see it.”
Jerome is still a relative newcomer to the screen, but that didn’t stop him from winning the Emmy for best actor in a limited series last year for his role in Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us.” The win made him the first Afro-Latino to win an Emmy for acting. His other roles include best picture winner “Moonlight” and the Audience Network series “Mr. Mercedes.”
He is repped by UTA, Kipperman Management, and Sloane Offer.