Kevin HartandWesley Snipeshave signed on to play brothers in Netflix’s limited seriesTrue Story, the streamer announced Wednesday.
Hart will play Kid, a famous comedian, while Snipes will play his wayward older brother, Carlton. Billed as an event series,True Storyconcerns a tour stop in Kid’s hometown of Philadelphia that becomes a matter of life and death when the consequences of a lost evening with Carlton threaten to destroy everything he’s built.
Eric Newman, who served as showrunner of the Netflix hitsNarcosandNarcos: Mexico, will write the script as well as executive produce the eight-episode series alongside Hart and showrunnerCharles Murray(Luke Cage).Caroline Currierwill oversee the project on behalf of Newman’s Grand Electric banner, which has an overall television deal with Netflix, whileMike SteinandTiffany Brownwill oversee on behalf of Hart’s company Hartbeat Productions.
Stephen Williams(Watchmen) will direct and executive produce the first four episodes, whileHanelle Culpepper(Star Trek: Picard) will direct the final four episodes.
“I’ve never been more excited about an acting project in my career. I’ve always been a fan of Wesley Snipes and working with him is mind-blowing. Nobody is ready for what this show is going to be," said Hart, who will be making his dramatic series debut inTrue Story– which despite its name, is a fictional show.
“Kevin Hart’s career is one defined by courageous creative risks and Wesley Snipes is a legendary talent. Together, they are truly a dream team. I am absolutely thrilled to be working with these two," added Newman, who recently split from his Screen Arcade partnerBryan Unkeless.
True Storysounds like a welcome change of pace for Hart, who has at least a dozen comedy projects in development around town. Pairing him with Snipes andWatchmendirector Williams in a limited series on Netflix could be just his career needs, and though I never got around to seeing his work oppositeBryan CranstoninThe Upside, I have faith that Hart can rise to the occasion here and give a credible performance as a comedian in crisis.
I happened to watch Hart’s standup specialKevin Hart: Zero F**ks Givenon Netflix the other day and I really liked his new hour and how candid the actor is about some of his recent “scandals.” Next up for Hart is the Sony dramedyFatherhoodas well as the studio’s action-comedyThe Man from Toronto, which pairs him withWoody Harrelson. For more on the latter project,click here.
