Jesse Eisenberg is teaming up with J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk’s production company Bad Robot for a brand new comedy series, The Market. The actor has worked his way up the Hollywood ladder thanks to stand out roles in Zombieland, Now You See Me and The Social Network and more recently landed the coveted gig of being the DC Extended Universe’s Lex Luthor.
Bad Robot Productions meanwhile, has had a hand in a number of critically and commercially successful television and film projects – typically with involvement from co-founder Abrams himself. The company’s most recent television hit came in the form of Westworld which debuted to rave reviews and broke a number of viewership records for parent network HBO.
According to Deadline, Eisenberg and Bad Robot are now joining forces for a new comedy television project that the actor will not only star in but also will direct and write. The Market will be a single-camera style show focusing on the life of one Harold Katzman who moves in with his son (played by Eisenberg) after losing his wife. To make matters worse, both men soon find themselves unemployed and seeking work. Little else is known about the project other than Eisenberg, Abrams and Ben Stephenson are producing and each episode is expected to run for 30 minutes.
Although Eisenberg has proved himself in a number of comedic roles over the years, The Market is somewhat new territory for Bad Robot who have generally focused on effects-heavy action or mystery pieces and have little experience in sitcoms. Eisenberg also finds himself outside of his comfort zone, however, as although the actor has a number of writing credits to his name – particularly on stage – his history as a director is relatively light.
With an A-list name leading the project and a production company with strong pedigree behind it, The Market could well be a series to keep an eye out for. Eisenberg is coming off the back of a disappointing reaction to his performance as Lex Luthor where he was arguably one of the most criticized elements of the film and returning to comedy – an arena he has proven to be very capable in – seems like a wise move for the talented actor.
With that said, the fact that Eisenberg is also producing, directing and writing the project is a decision that may hinder more than it helps. Although one man taking on several roles can help keep a consistent creative direction, that person runs the risk of being spread too thin and if the series fails, it could easily be labelled an Eisenberg vanity project. One man in the world of comedy who pulled off this feat with aplomb, however, is Ricky Gervais who starred in, wrote and directed The Office, but then again even he had a partner in Stephen Merchant.
Screen Rant will have more details on The Market as they are made available.
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Source: Deadline
