Amazon Studios in Hollywood has confirmed five news shows: a period drama by Wong Kar-wai, three comedy series, including one starring Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph, and a comic book adaptation produced by Seth Rogen, Variety reported. The greenlighting is said to be the result of direct orders from Amazon Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos in a bid to combat original programming by rivals HBO and Netflix.
“The mandate from Jeff Bezos is clear: Bring me “Game of Thrones.”” the trade publication reported. “That’s the word that has the creative community buzzing this week about a major strategy shift underway for Amazon Studios’ original series efforts. The CEO of the e-commerce giant is said to have tasked Amazon Studios chief Roy Price with honing the focus on high-end drama series with global appeal.” This change is reflected in the scrapping of a second season for the underperforming Z: The Beginning of Everything, a period drama about the romance between Zelda Sayre and F Scott Fitzgerald.
Paul Attanasio (Quiz Show, Donnie Brasco) will write and Wong will direct Tong Wars, a crime drama set against the backdrop of Chinese immigration to the United States of America. Among the streaming service’s upcoming shows for 2018 are Amy Sherman-Palladino’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, an adaptation of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan novels, Matthew Weiner’s The Romanoffs, and a crime drama directed by David O Russell and starring Robert De Niro and Julianne Moore.
You’ve read Scroll.
Now help sustain it
Scroll is funded by readers, not corporate owners. If you believe our work matters, support our newsroom. Become a member today!
We’re not driven by clicks or corporate interests – just honest, independent reporting. Keep us going. Support Scroll today!