Hair We Go! Amazon Has Greenlit A New 'Barbershop' Series
Jermaine Fowler will star as MGM properties continue to be revitalized
Amazon’s combover of MGM IP has officially dug up another prime candidate. Adapting Barbershop into a TV series has been greenlit for Prime Video, with Jermaine Fowler attached to star. The announcement was made Monday night during Amazon’s upfronts presentation to advertisers in New York. This comes after having been one of the many properties Amazon was looking to revitalize over two years ago.
Marshall Todd, who co-wrote the original film, is writing, executive producing, and co-shrowrunning the series that will “connect to the film’s universe” alongside Max Searle. Its official description states the show “revolves around Travis ‘Trav’ Porter (Fowler), who endeavors to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, a legendary barber at the iconic ‘Calvin’s’ barbershop in Chicago. And while the barbers are new, the shop remains just as lively, the customers just as argumentative, and the fades are still the dopest in the city — because at Calvin’s, the community comes together for way more than just a haircut.”
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Back in April 2023, it was reported that Amazon was ready to scour the MGM library for franchises to resuscitate. While at first it seemed that The Pink Panther was out to an early lead with Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy director Jeff Fowler attached and Eddie Murphy in negotiation to star, the last several months have seen a clear new leader emerge with
“We are thrilled to announce a new series based on the hilarious and innovative world of Barbershop for our global Prime Video customers,” said Vernon Sanders, who is global head of television at Amazon MGM Studios. “The television adaptation of this iconic film franchise is in excellent hands with co-showrunners Max Searle and Marshall Todd. We couldn’t be happier with their collaboration and hard work to bring Calvin’s Chicago-based barbershop to life for a new audience on Prime Video.”
As alluded to, this is actually the second television adaptation for the franchise fronted by films released in 2002, 2004, Back in Business and 2016 The Next Cut (and a Beauty Shop spinoff in 2005) that were led by Ice Cube, Anthony Anderson and Cedric the Entertainer. Cube was an executive producer of the first television series on Showtime, where his role of Calvin Palmer Jr. was played by Hangin with Mr. Cooper and Smart Guy star Omar Gooding. However it only lasted one season.
Fowler is a well-known stand up comedian, breaking out by starring in the CBS multi-cam sitcom Superior Donuts. He went onto the FX limited series A Murder at the End of the World and the truTV sketch comedy series Friends of the People. He will next be seen in the Paramount+ comedy series Crutch starring Tracy Morgan and the fifth season of Only Murders in the Building. His film credits include Coming 2 America, Sorry to Bother You, Judas and the Black Messiah, and Ricky Stanicky.
Kevin Hart, Bryan Smiley, and Mike Stein executive produce via Hartbeat Productions, with Tiffany Brown co-executive producing from the same company, while Cameron Burnett and Autumn Bailey-Ford executive produce on behalf of Prominent Productions, with State Street Pictures also executive producing. The series is produced by Amazon MGM Studios.
In the same crop of properties that Barbershop was named, which included Stargate, Robocop, Legally Blonde, The Magnificent Seven, Pink Panther, Fame, and The Thomas Crown Affair, a Robocop series and Pink Panther film are in development, Legally Blonde has a prequel series titled Elle starring Lexi Minetree in the title role gearing up for a summer premiere, and the second The Thomas Crown Affair remake will be directed by and star Michael B. Jordan, written by Drew Pearce, and was on April 25 given a March 5, 2027 release date.
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Source: Variety