Prime Video has formally ordered Barbershop, a TV series starring Jermaine Fowler (Ricky Stanicky) based on the MGM movies.
The series, which has had a blinking green light since last fall, was confirmed today ahead of Amazon‘s upfront presentation. It comes from Marshall Todd, co-writer of the original Barbershop movie, Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat and Amazon MGM Studios.
Written and executive produced by Todd, with Max Searle (Dave) as co-showrunner and executive producer, the Barbershop TV offshoot revolves around Travis “Trav” Porter (Fowler), who endeavors to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, a legendary barber at the iconic “Calvin’s” barbershop in Chicago. And while the barbers are new, the shop remains just as lively, the customers just as argumentative, and the fades are still the dopest in the city — because at Calvin’s, the community comes together for way more than just a haircut.
“We are thrilled to announce a new series based on the hilarious and innovative world of Barbershop for our global Prime Video customers,” said Vernon Sanders, global head of television, Amazon MGM Studios. “The television adaptation of this iconic film franchise is in excellent hands with co-showrunners Max Searle and Marshall Todd. We couldn’t be happier with their collaboration and hard work to bring Calvin’s Chicago-based barbershop to life for a new audience on Prime Video.”
Barbershop was among the first MGM titles identified for series adaptations following Amazon’s $8.5B acquisition of the storied Hollywood studio.
Its green light follows the series pickup for Legally Blonde prequel series Elle, announced at Amazon’s upfront presentation last year.
There is also a Carrie series, which is finishing casting, with a Tomb Raider drama also in the works, among others.
The Barbershop series is executive produced by Todd; Searle; Kevin Hart, Bryan Smiley, and Mike Stein for Hartbeat; Bradley Gardner; Cameron Burnett, and Autumn Bailey-Ford for Prominent Productions; and George L. Tillman, Jr. and Robert Teitel for State Street Pictures. Tiffany Brown will co-executive produce for Hartbeat. The series is produced by Amazon MGM Studios.
The Barbershop feature comedy franchise consists of four films, which center around the social lives of employees in a barbershop on the South Side of Chicago.
The first movie, 2002’s Barbershop, stars Ice Cube as Calvin, who inherits the struggling business from his deceased father. He views the shop as nothing but a burden and waste of his time, but after selling it to a local loan shark, Calvin has second thoughts and struggles with the idea that he just sold it out. It’s followed by Barbershop 2: Back in Business in 2004, Beauty Shop in 2005, a spinoff from the first two Barbershop films starring Queen Latifah, and Barbershop: The Next Cut in 2016. The film franchise grossed over $235 million worldwide.
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