I'm A Virgo is an absurdist, coming-of-age joyride about a 13-foot-tall young Black man who lives in Oakland, CA.
`I'm thrilled to be working with Amazon on this project,` said Riley. `This show will either have me lauded or banned, and as such, I have demanded payment up front.
`I'm A Virgo is refreshingly original and there's nothing else like it on television,` said Albert Cheng, COO and Co-Head of Television, Amazon Studios. `No one is quite like Boots, and we're so excited to be working with him and Jharrel on this fantastical, funny, and utterly unique new series. We can't wait for our Prime Video customers to see it.`
Riley's first feature Sorry to Bother You, which he wrote and directed, was one of the most buzzed about films at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. Later that year he signed a script deal with Media Res, which led to I'm a Virgo.
In addition to his work in film, Riley is best known for his two-decade span as leader of The Coup, a radical funk/punk/hip-hop band, where he penned six albums to widespread critical acclaim, receiving `Pop Album of The Year` by The Washington Post and the Associated Press, and `Hip Hop Album of The Year` by Rolling Stone.
Jerome won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for his performance in Ava DuVernay's When They See Us. He also starred in Barry Jenkins' film Moonlight, which won the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture of the Year, and netted Jerome Film Independent's Robert Altman Award and the Gotham Award for best ensemble cast.
Media Res television and film studio develops, produces and finances premium content for the global market. Founded by Michael Ellenberg in 2017, the studio produces the AppleTV+ hit series The Morning Show, starring Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell. The series was nominated for eight Emmy Awards in its first season and is in production now on season two. Media Res also has Scenes from a Marriage, set at HBO. The limited series remake of the Ingmar Bergman classic film will star Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaacs. The studio also has three additional series-Pachinko, based on the international bestseller, the untitled Amaryllis Fox CIA project and the untitled Scott Z. Burns climate change series-all set at AppleTV+.
Amazon Studios is the home for talent, creating and producing original films and television series for a global audience. Original series all premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, which is available in over 200 countries and territories. Recent hit Amazon Original series include the Emmy Award-winning comedies Fleabag, created by and starring Emmy Award-winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel from Emmy Award-winners Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, as well as the action thriller drama Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan starring John Krasinski, the irreverent superhero series The Boys, and fantasy drama Carnival Row starring Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne; Amazon Originals also include culturally relevant and buzzed about content such as Rihanna's Savage X Fenty music and fashion event, Donald Glover's Guava Island and Chasing Happiness, a documentary about pop superstars the Jonas Brothers.
In film, Amazon Studios produces and acquires original movies for theatrical release and exclusively for Amazon Prime Video. In 2017, Amazon Studios became the first streaming service to win Oscars for Manchester by the Sea and The Salesman. Recent Amazon original movies include the subversive comedy Borat Subsequent Moviefilm with Sacha Baron Cohen, Troop Zero starring Viola Davis and Allison Janney, Tom Harper's The Aeronauts starring Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne, Scott Z. Burns' The Report, Alma Har'el's Honey Boy and the Academy Award nominated Les Miserables directed by Ladj Ly. The 2020 slate include the family comedy My Spy starring Dave Bautista and Chloe Coleman, Chemical Hearts starring Lili Reinhart, Sound of Metal starring Riz Ahmed, Sylvie's Love with Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha, Alan Ball's Uncle Frank with Paul Bettany and Sophia Lillis, I'm Your Woman starring and produced by Rachel Brosnahan and more. In addition, the originals film slate includes a number of diverse first-time feature filmmakers - Blow the Man Down directed by Danielle Krudy and Bridget Savage Cole, Selah and The Spadesfrom director Tayarisha Poe, The Vast of Night directed by Andrew Patterson and 7500 directed by Patrick Vollrath.