Book of Marlon, the newest comedy from Marlon Wayans, has a new home. Starz has picked up the comedy project that was originally commissioned by HBO Max and is based on the life and career of the actor and comedian. This is the latest in a series of organisational changes at the streamer’s parent company, Warner Bros., which included a merger with Discovery earlier this year. The new government established by David Zaslav has made significant changes at the studio, leading to the discontinuation of several television series and motion pictures. Wayans would portray a fictitiousized version of himself in a half-hour production called Book of Marlon. It has been announced that Diallo Riddle and Bashir Salahuddin would be running the programme.
The comedian who will be co-writing and executive producing stated in a statement, “It’s fantastic to know that we can push the edge and get into some good, fun trouble with this project on this platform. Diallo and Bashir are highly productive as a team and as friends. We promise that Book of Marlon will be witty, entertaining, and twisted, with just the right amount of heart and a healthy dose of unrepentant hilarity. This new series is a continuation of Marlon Wayans’ namesake comedy on NBC, and it will focus on both his professional & personal life as he tries to find a balance between his two identities, Marlon the comedian and Marlon the loving father.
Sherman’s Showcase and South Side were established by the writing team of Riddle and Salahuddin, and they couldn’t contain their enthusiasm when they announced the news: The opportunity to work with Marlon on a programme is a dream come true since he is a once-in-a-generation talent in our opinion. We’re really excited for folks to see what he’s really like in real life!
The two will serve as executive producers alongside Damon Wayans, Rick Alvarez (Marlon, Sextuplets), and Michael Rotenberg (3 Arts Entertainment) (Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe). The pilot episode will be co-written by Wayans, Riddle, Salahuddin, & Alvarez. The show will be managed by Starz’s Alex Alberts, Senior Vice President of Original Programming Kathryn Tyus-Adair, and Alice Dickens-Koblin, Senior Vice President of Unscripted Programming. In the words of STARZ’s President of Original Programming, Kathryn Busby: “We are beyond excited to produce this intelligent and humorous series with Marlon, Diallo, Bashir, and Rick, who each bring their unique level of talent and authenticity to everything they touch.” In addition, he said, “I’ve always admired Diallo’s and Bashir’s work, and I’m pleased to be working on a project as exceptional as this with the outstanding Marlon Wayans at the core.” Unfortunately, the comedy series has yet to receive a premiere date.