The cavalcade of Hollywood talent making the transition to television continues as director Tim Story has come aboard as the executive producer for the new Jamie Foxx series, White Famous on Showtime.
The half-hour comedy, executive produced by Foxx and Tom Kapinos (Californication), will be written by Kapinos, based on an idea by Foxx, who will also guest star in a recurring role. Story will direct the show’s pilot, which stars former SNL member, Jay Pharoah, who came aboard days after his contract was not renewed for a seventh season.
The series will focus on a talented, young African-American comedian whose star is rising, forcing him to navigate the treacherous waters of maintaining his credibility as he begins to cross-over towards becoming “white famous.” “I came up from standup comedy, so to be able to share that aspect of my life on screen with a project like ‘White Famous’ is incredibly exciting,” said Foxx. “We couldn’t have found better partners than Showtime, Lionsgate and Tom Kapinos to tell this story in the best possible way.”
“They say you can’t go home again, but I’m thrilled to be back at Showtime, where I’m equally jazzed to be working with the brilliant Jamie Foxx on the creation of another wickedly profane TV antihero,” added Kapinos.
White Famous joins other new cable TV series from black creators, centered around the lives of black characters that will be debuting next season, including Issa Rae’s Insecure, and Donald Glover’s Atlanta.
Story holds the record as the highest-grossing African American director, with seven movies opening at No.1 – Ride Along 2 (2016), Ride Along (2014), Think Like a Man Too (2014), Think Like a Man (2012), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Fantastic Four (2005) and Barbershop (2002).