EXCLUSIVE: In a competitive situation, Amazon Studios has landed for development Sharps, a half-hour comedy from writer Flint Wainess (In the Dark), John Hamburg (Me Time), Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment and Wendi Trilling’s TrillTV.
Written and executive produced by Wainess, Sharps revolves around 30-year-old Tyler Flynn, a nice guy with a normal job, a great girlfriend, and a secret that’s eating away at him: he’s one of the millions of Americans addicted to sports gambling. After hitting rock bottom and struggling to tell his loved ones about what he’s done, he finds a way to win back everything (and more) when he’s recruited into a sports gambling syndicate run by Buddy Kasper, an eccentric, possibly psychopathic, professional sports gambler aka a “sharp.”
Hamburg, who is set to direct, executive produces via his Particular Pictures along with Kaplan and Melanie Frankel for Kapital Entertainment, Trilling for TrillTV and Lauren Hennessey for Particular Pictures. Kevin Marco oversees for Kapital.
Wainess’ recent TV series credits include CW’s In The Dark and Netflix’s Green Eggs & Ham. He penned the Black List script Linda and Monica, which was acquired by Amazon Studios with Todd Black producing. Wainess has set up features Super In Love at Amblin with Peter Farrelly set to direct, and The Journalist and the Pharma Bro at Focus with David Gordon Green directing. He is repped by CAA and McKuin, Frankel, Whitehead.
Hamburg most recently wrote and directed feature Me Time, starring Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg. His scripting credits include Night School and Little Fockers, and he has directed films including Along Came Polly, I Love You Man, and Why Him?
Kapital and TrillTV are behind CBS comedy pilot JumpStart based on Robb Armstrong’s long-running comic strip, as well as the network’s multi-camera comedy series The Neighborhood, which has been renewed for a sixth season.