Michael Kenneth Williams stars as Rock Banyon, a struggling jazz pianist at the center of the upcoming 6-part pulp-noir murder mystery series, "The Spoils Before Dying," which will air on IFC this summer.
He is joined in front of the camera by Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig and Haley Joel Osment .
Set in 1962 during the height of the Los Angeles jazz scene, "The Spoils Before Dying follows" Rock (Michael Kenneth Williams) as he becomes the Prime Suspect in the double murder of singer and his occasional lover Fresno Foxglove (who will be played by Maya Rudolph) who is found dead in a car with another man. Panicked, Rock splits town for Mexico where he reunites with his one-time big band singer Delores O’Dell (Kristen Wiig). Determined to prove his innocence and avoid the electric chair, Rock and Delores head back to the U.S. on a dangerous journey for the elusive truth. All the while, Rock’s hard charging manager, Alistair St. Barnaby (Haley Joel Osment), obliviously pressures Rock to record a mainstream jazz album.
Currently in production, "The Spoils Before Dying" also features Tim Meadows, Michael Sheen, Val Kilmer, Steve Tom, Marc Evan Jackson, Kate McKinnon, Chris Parnell, Emily Ratajkowski, Andrew Daly, Chris Mulkey, Chin Han, Jack Kilmer, Patty Guggenheim and Bérénice Marlohe.
Will Ferrell also appears as Eric Jonrosh, the literary auteur turned director who opens and closes each episode of his latest lurid television adaption.
Quite a few "Saturday Night Live" cast members will appear in this series apparently.
"We couldn’t have asked for a more talented cast to usher in the sophomore season of this miniseries," said Jennifer Caserta, IFC’s president. "We’re also thrilled to have so many of last year’s Spoils cast members returning for Jonrosh’s latest adaption, particularly Kristen Wiig who received an Emmy nomination for her hilariously epic performance."
"The Spoils Before Dying" is produced by Funny Or Die and executive produced by Ferrell, Adam McKay, Matt Piedmont, Andrew Steele and Nate Young. Steele and Piedmont return as writers, with Piedmont also directing.
Entertainment Weekly got a first look at the upcoming series via a few official images, embedded within this post.
