Funny or Die’s Vice President of Branded Entertainment, Chris Bruss made a handful of announcements at this week’s Digital Content NewFronts Showcase hosted by IAB. One of them was the online comedy destination and new media studio is developing an original web series with actor, producer, and objection of Steven Soderbergh’s direction Don Cheadle.
Don Cheadle Is… is slated to be a three-part series featuring the Academy Award nominee in which he re-envisions a popular character from our collective memories in each installment. That character could be Johnny Appleseed, Scrooge McDuck, Alf, John Henry, or any other individual, anthropomorphic animal, or superhero prominent in American folklore or pop culture.
“We’re great at getting celebrities to play in our playground,” Bruss told the packed house of advertisers and brands at IAB’s Ad Lab. Don Cheadle Is… (as well as good chunk of Funny or Die’s regularly scheduled programming) is a testament to that.
Cheadle first appeared in a Funny or Die Exclusive back in 2010. He played the role of Frederick Douglass alongside Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel in an episode of Derek Water’s Drunk History (which is now making its way to TV). He then donned a green wig, silver makeup, and a unitard with some sweet accessories to channel a radical-environmentalist-approved live-action iteration of Captain Planet.
Bruss notes the the actor had such a good time making those videos, he contacted the good people at Funny or Die to do some more.
There’s no word yet on when Don Cheadle Is… is scheduled to debut or which brands may be attached, though it should be of interest to any advertiser who would like to get involved with a program that’s sure to do well. Don Cheadle Is Captain Planet has already racked up nearly 3.7 million views so far on Funny or Die alone.
Check out the Tubefilter Calendar for a complete schedule of the Digital Content NewFronts, and be sure to consult Tubefilter’s Complete Guide to DCNF 2012 for all the latest news.
Monday, April 30, 2012
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