Budding projects will solicit subscriber feedback as Amazon’s pilot season rolls out its candidates this month.
Remember when everyone saw The Man in the High Castle pilot and voted on its fate, setting off two successful seasons for the resulting series on Amazon’s video streaming service? Well, it’s that time again as Amazon prepares to unveil a slate of pilots on March 17 for users to vote on. Favorites often go on to receive development deals, providing early adopters a great way to get in on the ground floor of a new show.
Among the candidates are a space drama called Oasis starring Richard Madden of Game of Thrones, a comedy from the creator of Gilmore Girls with the intriguing title The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and a dark comedy starring John Hawkes of Deadwood called The Legend of Master Legend. Each pilot will be up for customer review in all of Amazon’s domestic and international markets.
“We’re excited about these new worlds, characters and filmmakers,” says Amazon Studios exec Joe Lewis. “We’re looking forward to another Amazon Pilot Season and more great customer feedback.”
The science fiction offering, Oasis, has Madden’s character, a chaplain, establishing a planetary colony in the far reaches of space, testing both his faith and humanity itself. Based on the novel The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber, the pilot also stars famed Indian actor and producer Anil Kapoor and The Sixth Sense sensation, Haley Joel Osment. Oasis is written by Matt Charman (Bridge of Spies), who will helm the potential series with Andy Harries (The Crown) and Lila Rawlings.
Amy Sherman-Palladino, who helmed the Gilmore Girls revival on Netflix, brings The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to life along with her husband and fellow executive producer, Daniel Palladino. The story of the series finds Miriam “Midge” Maisel, played by Rachel Brosnahan, in 1950’s Manhattan as a wife and mother whose hidden comedic talents takes her beyond her stable life in the Upper West Side to the world of stand-up comedy. The pilot will also star Tony Shalhoub, Michael Zegen, and Alex Borstein.
Transparent writers Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster helm the dark comedy candidate, The Legend of Master Legend. In the pilot, a self-styled superhero named Frank Lafount takes on the identity of Master Legend, attempting to deal out justice while managing life with a family who see him as less than heroic. John Hawkes will star alongside Dawnn Lewis, Shea Whigham, and newcomer Anjelika Washington. The writers would executive produce along with Joshua Bearman and David Klawans of Argo as well as Youree Henley of 20th Century Women.
Other pilots Amazon has ordered include Budding Prospects, a show about three city boys in the 80’s attempting to relocate to the country to grow marijuana, and The New V.I.P.’s, a half-hour comedy about a group of employees who accidentally kill their boss and take over the company. Pilots that are picked up after voting begins on March 17 will join the vaulted ranks of shows like Bosch, The Man in the High Castle, Transparent, and One Mississippi.
[SOURCE: THR]