Book of Marlon, a Marlon Wayans semi-autobiographical comedy series, is now in development at Starz after being initially planned at HBO Max.
Wayans will play the lead role and is co-writing the script and serves as executive producer. This new series comes several years after he he headlined NBC’s Marlon.
Wayans will portray a fictionalized version of himself in the half-hour project, covering his career as a comedian and actor as well as his personal life as he tries to balance being a decent guy and a loving parent with being Marlon.
The creators of Sherman’s Showcase and South Side, Diallo Riddle and Bashir Salahuddin, will be the showrunners. They will executive produce alongside Wayans, Rick Alvarez, and Michael Rotenberg of 3 Arts Entertainment. The pilot episode will be co-written by Wayans, Riddle, Salahuddin, and Alvarez.
“We are beyond thrilled to develop this sophisticated and hilarious series with Marlon, Diallo, Bashir and Rick, who each bring their own level of artistry and authenticity to everything they touch,” said Kathryn Busby, President, Original Programming at STARZ. “I’ve long admired Diallo’s and Bashir’s work, and I’m excited to be working on a project as special as this with the incomparable Marlon Wayans at the center.”
“We’re excited to be in business with such enthusiastic partners. Starz is a big brand, and we are happy to bring some smiles to the table,” said Wayans. “It’s great to know that we can push the envelope and get into some good, fun trouble with this project on this platform. Diallo and Bashir are good friends and great collaborators. Book of Marlon will be smart, fun and twisted with a dash of heart and a whole lot of unapologetic humor.”
“We believe Marlon is a once-in-a-generation talent and we’re thrilled to finally be working with him in this capacity on a show,” said Riddle and Salahuddin. “We can’t wait for people to get a glimpse of what his real life is like and we can’t thank Starz enough for allowing us to do so in an unflinchingly honest way.”
Book of Marlon will be produced by Warner Bros. Television for Starz. Riddle and Salahuddin are. under an overall deal at the network.
