Kumail Nanjiani will play Chippendales founder Somen “Steve” Banerjee in a limited series that has been ordered at Hulu, Variety has learned.
The eight-episode series is titled “Immigrant.” It will tell the true story of Banerjee, the Indian-American entrepreneur who started Chippendales. The series will detail the insane, darkly comedic, crime-ridden story behind the unique male revue that became a cultural phenomenon.
The series is written by Robert Siegel and executive produced by Siegel, Nanjiani, Limelight’s Dylan Sellers and Chris Parker, and Emily V. Gordon as well as Rajiv Joseph and Mehar Sethi, who will also write on the series. 20th Television will produce.
Nanjiani is no stranger to television, having starred in the hit HBO comedy “Silicon Valley” throughout its six season run. He has also been on shows like “Portlandia,” “Franklin & Bash,” and “Adventure Time.” He picked up an Emmy nomination in 2019 for best guest actor in a drama series for “The Twilight Zone” reboot and is set to appear in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series at Disney Plus. On the film side, he scored an Oscar nomination in 2018 alongside his wife, Emily V. Gordon, for “The Big Sick,” which is loosely based on the couple’s real life. Next up, he will appear in the Marvel film “Eternals” as Kingo.
He is repped by UTA, Mosaic, Schreck Rose, and ID PR.
“Immigrant” also marks the second Hulu series order for Siegel based on true events. He is also the writer on “Pam & Tommy,” which will take on the true story behind the release of the first-ever viral video in history — the sex tape of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. The series will star Lily James as Anderson and Sebastian Stan as Lee. First look photos of the pair in full makeup were recently released.