Amazon pulls a bunny out of Hugh Hefner’s hat.
Amazon announced that it greenlighted its newest original series: American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story. The 13 episode docuseries will tell the story of the founder of the iconic American magazine that celebrates female beauty Playboy through 17,000-plus hours of archival footage, interviews, reenactments and photos from Hefner's footage and Hefner’s collection of more than 2,600 scrapbooks.
The story will be told in a "hybrid" docudrama style.
According to the official synopsis:
“American Playboy begins in post-war America and takes us through the launch of Playboy magazine in 1953 and the next six decades of Hefner’s life and career. As he built his empire, Hefner became both a social justice advocate and a target of the conservative movement, battling with the FBI and J. Edgar Hoover while becoming an outspoken defender of civil rights. With unprecedented access to more than 17,000 hours of never-before-seen footage from the Playboy archives and Hefner’s personal scrapbooks (which number more than 2,600 and constitute a Guinness World Record), American Playboywill be the Hugh Hefner story in his own words. The 90-year-old Hefner has been deeply involved in the development and production of American Playboy, imbuing the series with rich first-person accounts and never-before-told stories.”
The 13-episode American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story will span over “six decades of American history, telling the dual narrative of Hefner's personal life, intertwined with the evolution of the country he sought to change,” according to a press release.
“What started in December 1953 with a nude centerfold of Marilyn Monroe, transformed into Hefner's personal vision of what America could be – Playboy became a high-minded, egalitarian magazine, placing Hefner on the frontlines of the country's greatest struggles. Not merely a sexual revolutionary, Hefner fought for free speech, civil rights, nuclear disarmament, women's rights and more. From publishing blacklisted writers to freeing prisoners of repressive sexual legislation, to battling with J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI and Jerry Falwell, Hefner used his media empire and public persona to espouse a progressive philosophy far ahead of his time.”
The series will begin Hefner’s life in post-World War II America, through the launch of Playboy magazine in 1953 and the subsequent six decades. Hefner, who turned 90 in April, was married three times and had relationships with numerous Playboy models.
“It has been a long road in finding the right partners to tell the full story of Playboy as it has unfolded over these past 63 years, and I believe we have found them in the collaborative team of Stephen David Entertainment and Amazon,” Hefner said in a statement.
The magazine magnate was a target of the conservative movement and Playboy magazine was under ongoing surveillance by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI. American Playboy will also detail Hefner’s battles to defend the First Amendment, abortion rights and same-sex marriage. Hefner sponsored the lower-court cases that eventually led to Roe v. Wade and filed an amicus curiae brief in that landmark U.S. Supreme Court case through his Playboy Foundation.
"Although Hugh Hefner is an iconic figure known worldwide, most people may not be aware of the impact he has had on some of this country's most important social revolutions," Amazon Studios unscripted head Conrad Riggs, said in a statement. "We are excited to bring Prime members the untold story of Mr. Hefner's remarkable life and his contributions to modern American history."
"When I started Playboy magazine in 1953, I couldn't imagine the incredible journey that was to follow and that Playboy would have such a significant voice in the discussion of our ever-changing culture," Hefner said in a statement. "I'm pleased that this docu-series will help serve as a reminder of where we've been and how we've evolved as a society, but more importantly my hope is that it will inspire others to pursue their dreams."
"Time and time again, Hugh Hefner went up against very powerful forces in our society to fight for those who could not speak for themselves," said Scott Flanders, Chief Executive Officer of Playboy Enterprises. "Now, with the help of this incredible team, the rest of the world will know just what a catalyst Hef was for positive social change in the United States and around the world."
American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story is being produced for Amazon by Stephen David Entertainment and Playboy Enterprises’ Alta Loma Entertainment division.
"Hugh Hefner is a fascinating, enigmatic personality and I couldn't be more excited to partner with Alta Loma and Banijay to bring his story to life," Stephen David said in a statement. "As a brand, Playboy has unparalleled international recognition, and we look forward to reaching audiences around the world."
American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story is scheduled to premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Austria and Japan in 2017
SOURCE: DEADLINE
