Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons & Justine Simmons will topline and produce a family comedy which Amblin TV and ABC Studios are backing.
Scripted by Jeremy Bronson, with Don Scardino directing, the currently untitled comedy – which is fictional and not based on or even inspired by the Simmons’ real life – centers on a legendary rapper whose plans for slowing down are thwarted when his wife decides to pursue her own dreams and ambitions of stardom.
The project is filling out its main cast at the moment, with Amblin TV and ABC Studios planning to shop it around to TV networks (broadcast and streaming), starting of course with ABC; although ABC initially passed on picking up the project to pilot, but the producers (Amblin) and studio (ABC Studios) believe in the script and are pushing forward with it by any means necessary (yes, while ABC Studios and ABC network are both under the same parent company – Disney – they are entirely separate operations).
Simmons established a new audience and reality stardom via the popular series “Run’s House,” which ran on MTV for six seasons; so expectations may be that the already cultivated audience will follow him into scripted TV land.
Filming is scheduled to begin next month. Should it eventually get picked up to series, a 2017/2018 TV season premiere is likely.