‘Simpsons’ Director Teams With Social Media Stars for Animated Stoner Comedy ‘Superslackers’ (Exclusive)
David Silverman will direct the series, which also features Jerry Purpdrank, Max Jr., Dan Nampaikid, Jon Paul Piques and Olivia Sui
Jeff Sneider | April 18, 2016 @ 3:39 PM
Last Updated: October 9, 2016 @ 11:56 AM
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David Silverman, a key creative figure on “The Simpsons,” has signed on to direct animated stoner comedy “Superslackers,” which will feature several social media stars and is currently in production on a six-episode season, TheWrap has exclusively learned.
“Superslackers” follows a group of friends who get a bag of pot that has been switched with a drug being used in a government experiment that gives them superpowers. When a Professor Xavier-type shows up to train them, they have no interest in saving the world. They agree to move into a rent-free government compound, but all they want to do is watch TV and play video games. The Professor is convinced he can turn them into the heroes that the world needs — but can he do it before their infectious laziness spreads to the rest of the agents?
The core cast is led by social media stars Jerry Purpdrank, Max Jr., Dan Nampaikid, Jon Paul Piques, Olivia Sui and Arantza Fahnbulleh, who have a combined reach of 35 million fans spread out over various platforms, including Facebook, Vine and Snapchat.
Seasoned animation writer Joelle Sellner (“Sonic Boom”) wrote the script for “Superslackers,” which hails from executive producers Warren Zide (“American Pie”), Mickey Gooch (“Skit Bags”), Ranajit Chaudhury and Ashwant Venkatram, an entertainment lawyer at PeopleTree Legal who represents the top digital influencers in the world, including the entire “Superslackers” cast. Usman Shaikh will serve as a co-executive producer of the series.
Silverman is an animator best known for developing “The Simpsons” and directing numerous episodes of the long-running series, as well as “The Simpsons Movie.” His other film credits include Disney-Pixar’s “Monsters, Inc.,” on which he served as co-director. In 2012, Silverman directed the Maggie Simpson theatrical short “The Longest Daycare,” which was released in front of “Ice Age: Continental Drift.” The short received an Oscar nomination, and Silverman is currently set to direct a live-action/animated hybrid movie featuring the Pink Panther for MGM.
Purpdrank is the best known of the cast, with over 9 million Vine follows, 3 million Facebook followers, 2.6 million Instagram subscribers and a huge Snapchat fanbase. His acting resume includes a starring role in Eric England’s indie feature “Get the Girl.”
Boston native Max Jr. rose to fame with his infamous Slap Cam stunts and is ranked among the top 50 Vine users, with 3.4 million followers, and 2 million more on Facebook.
Nampaikid is one of the largest Asian-American influencers, with 1.5 million followers on Facebook. As a martial arts expert and professional dancer, he has made his mark in the social media world with his original humor and slick dance moves.
Piques was an ex-professional soccer player who has parlayed his persona into social media celebrity, as he boasts an astounding 6.6 million followers on Facebook.
Sui is a well-known Youtube star and one of the top Asian-American influencers on Vine, while Fahnbulleh is a talented stand-up comedian, writer and fashion blogger who has taken the social media world by storm with almost 1 million followers on Facebook.
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Al Jean ("Simpsons" EP) Following his work on "It's Garry Shandling's Show" on Showtime, Al Jean joined the writing staff of Fox's "The Simpsons." He later took over as co-showrunner beginning in Season 3. He departed the series at the end of Season 4 to create "The Critic" before returning in Season 10.
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Judd Apatow One of the most successful "Larry Sanders Show" graduates, Apatow created not only cult hit "Freaks and Geeks," but a plethora of blockbuster comedy films as well, including "Knocked Up" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin."
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Peter Tolan ("Rescue Me") Following an Emmy-winning stint as writer and co-producer on "Murphy Brown," Tolan wrote 24 episodes of "The Larry Sandler Show," winning a writing Emmy for the series finale he co-wrote with Shandling. He's since gone on to create several of his own series, including "The Job," "Rescue Me" and "Rake."
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Steven Levitan ("Modern Family" creator) "Modern Family" creator Steven Levitan followed up his run on "The Larry Sanders Show" with an Emmy-winning turn as executive producer on "Frasier." He has also produced series including "Just Shoot Me!" "Stacked" and "Back to You."
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Carol Leifer Best known for her work on "Seinfeld," stand-up comedian Carol Leifer contributed one episode to "The Larry Sanders Show" in 1997. She later went on to create the series "The Ellen Show" and "Alright Already," as well as serve as writer on several Academy Awards ceremonies.
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Larry David After working as writer on "Fridays" and "Saturday Night Live," Larry David wrote one episode of "It's Garry Shandling's Show" before moving on to co-create "Seinfeld" and create and star in HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
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Merrill Markoe "Laugh-In" alum Merrill Markoe followed up her long-running stint as writer of "Late Night With David Letterman" with "It's Garry Shandling's Show." She later went on to write for series including "Newhart," "Sex and the City," and "Moonlighting."
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Sam Simon ("The Simpsons" Co-Creator) Following his work on "It's Garry Shandling's Show" on Showtime, Sam Simon went on to help create one of the enduring sitcoms of the modern era. Simon died in 2015, but "The Simpsons," in its 27th season, is still going strong.
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Joe Toplyn After a brief stopover on "The Larry Sanders Show" in 1992, Toplyn went on to become the head writer of both "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and "The Late Show With David Letterman."
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Jeff Franklin ("Full House" Creator) Jeff Franklin began his career writing for shows like "Laverne & Shirley," "Bosom Buddies" and "It's Garry Shandling's Show." He then created the long-running sitcom "Full House" for ABC, which was revived as "Fuller House" at Netflix over 20 years later.
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Judd Apatow, “Modern Family” creator Steven Levitan, “Simpsons” EP Al Jean and more who got their start under the late comedian who died Thursday
Al Jean ("Simpsons" EP) Following his work on "It's Garry Shandling's Show" on Showtime, Al Jean joined the writing staff of Fox's "The Simpsons." He later took over as co-showrunner beginning in Season 3. He departed the series at the end of Season 4 to create "The Critic" before returning in Season 10.