Netflix’s Blockbuster series has picked up a director. Per Deadline, Black Monday helmer Payman Benz has signed on to direct and co-executive four episodes, including the pilot, of the upcoming single-camera workplace comedy series. Benz will specifically be working on episodes 101, 102, 107, and 108. From Universal Television, the 10-episode series, led by Randall Park, is set in the last brick-and-mortar Blockbuster Video store in the United States.
Blockbuster explores “what it takes – and more specifically who it takes – for a small business to succeed against all odds.” The show is created by Vanessa Ramos. Jackie Clarke and David Caspe, who worked on Black Monday with Benz, serve as writers and executive producers. John David and John Fox are executive producing for Davids Entertainment.
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“To say getting to make a show about a place I love, with my friends Jackie and David, and Randall Park as our star is a dream come true, somehow feels like an understatement,” Ramos said to THR when the project was first announced. “I could not be more grateful to Jim [Donnelly] and Megan [Macmillan] at Universal for supporting this project since day one and Tracey, Andy [Weil], and the whole team at Netflix for being on board with so many weird jokes.”
Netflix comedy head Tracey Pakosta added, “When Vanessa and David first came in and shared this idea for a comedy series, we were immediately excited. This is ultimately the story of a dedicated group of co-workers, with a lot of heart. And now with the hilarious Randall Park signing on to play the lead, it’s a no-brainer.”
Related: The Last Blockbuster TV Show Is Happening at Netflix with MCU Favorite Randall Park
The Last Blockbuster Also Had Its Story Told in a Documentary
In 2020, 1091 Pictures released the documentary The Last Blockbuster. The film delved into the story of the last-surviving Blockbuster Video store in America, located in Bend, Oregon. As told in the doc, Blockbuster Video was at the top of the video rental chain industry in the 1990s before it was nearly killed completely with the rise of streaming services like Netflix. Many celebrities appear in the doc to share their Blockbuster memories, including Kevin Smith, Adam Brody, and Doug Benson.
The movie also follows the manager of the video store, Sandi Harding, as she “navigates the difficult task of keeping a video rental store open in the era of Netflix.” This sounds similar to the plot of the Netflix series. Perhaps it’s only fitting that Blockbuster is a Netflix series as well, bringing this story full circle to when Netflix first started putting a dent into Blockbuster’s business.
Blockbuster Video in Bend, Oregon has also made headlines in recent years, serving as a special attraction for people feeling nostalgic for renting movies in the 1990s. In 2018, John Oliver bought Russell Crowe’s jockstrap to donate to the store. Ellen DeGeneres visited the store in 2019 for a segment on her daytime television talk show. In 2020, the location hosted special sleepovers through Airbnb.
Netflix has not yet set a premiere date for Blockbuster.
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Jeremy Dick
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