EXCLUSIVE: Ken Jeong is set to star in a half-hour dramedy about life failures that is in the works at Amazon with Daniel Dae Kim producing.
The I Can See Your Voice host and The Masked Singer panelist, who shot to fame with his role in The Hangover movies, is attached as the lead in Shoot the Moon.
The single-camera project is loosely inspired by the “life failures” of Paul Bae, a former high school English teacher and stand-up comedian who created The Black Tapes podcast series.
Bae was an evangelical youth pastor who married his college sweetheart. After he lost his wife, to divorce, and Jesus, to atheism, he embarked on a stumbling years-long journey with his friends and family back to wholeness.
The series will follow Michael, played by Jeong, son of Korean immigrants, who has achieved the American Dream and suddenly finds it illusory when his marriage and career fall apart, propelling him on a quest to reevaluate and rebuild his life.
It is being produced by Kim’s 3AD in association with Amazon Studios. Kim, known for his roles on screen in Hawaii Five-O and Lost, is quietly racking up an impressive roster on the producing side. He is behind The Good Doctor, having brought the original Korean format to the States for Sony’s ABC remake.
Shoot the Moon comes out of his first-look deal with Amazon Studios, which he signed in 2019. Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong and 3AD’s John Cheng will executive produce.
Ken Jeong said, “Paul’s brilliance and Daniel’s producing prowess along with 3AD and Amazon rounds out one of the most dynamic groups of talent I have had the good fortune to collaborate with. It’s truly a dream come true to be able to create an Asian American project told by Asian American storytellers, and hopefully this will inspire more people to share their experiences through the lens as well.”
“Paul’s irreverent and unapologetic writing, along with Ken’s impeccable comedic skills makes this a project all of us at 3AD are very excited about,” added Daniel Dae Kim. “We’re thrilled to be teaming up with them and Amazon to bring this unique, Model Minority Myth-busting world to life.”
Bae, who has two original TV series in development and previously had a development deal with NBC to turn his podcast The Black Tapes into a series, said, “Those years would have been personally tragic if it weren’t so funny.”
Jeong is represented by Aligned Entertainment, ICM Partners and Stone, Genow, Smelkinson, Binder & Christopher SGSBC. Kim is repped by UTA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman, Inc. Bae is repped by Management 360, ICM and The Nord Group.