Sorry to Bother You writer/director Boots Riley is back with another absurdist, fantastical story. Prime Video released a teaser trailer for I’m a Virgo, an upcoming TV series which will premiere at the SXSW Film & Television Festival later this week. The series stars Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us) as Cootie, a man from Oakland who just happens to be 13-feet-tall.
In addition to Jharrel Jerome, I’m a Virgo also stars Brett Gray (On my Block), Kara Young (The Punisher), Allius Barnes (Cruel Summer), Olivia Washington (Breaking), Mike Epps (The Upshaws), Carmen Ejogo (True Detective), and Walton Goggins (The Hateful Eight). “You know, you a big mother-f***er,” Mike Epps’ character says in the teaser. “All the wear and tear that you putting on this house, I mean, just leaning on the walls, you putting holes in them. And I gotta fix this shit myself, because I don’t want anyone to see your big ass.” Boots Riley created, wrote, directed, and executive produced the series, which will consist of seven episodes.
“I’m a Virgo is a fantastical coming-of-age joyride about Cootie, a 13-foot tall young Black man in Oakland, California,” reads the official synopsis. “To keep Cootie safe from a hostile world, his adoptive parents have hidden him from the world, never allowing him to leave their home. When Cootie finally ventures outside, he experiences the beauties and contradictions of our society for the very first time. The series is a mythic examination of what happens when the oppressed finally rise up – and asks why we are so often asked to identify with the oppressors in our stories, rather than the true heroes we often overlook.“
While speaking with Collider, Boots Riley described the series. “So it’s an absurdist, fantastical ride with a 13-foot-tall Black man who lives in Oakland California,” Riley said. “It’s called I’m a Virgo. That’s what’s important to him about himself. You see a giant Black man walking down the street, to a lot of people, that’s not important to them, the fact that he’s a Virgo, but that’s what’s important to him. Jharrel Jerome does an amazing job, and people are going to be looking at him with different eyes after this one.“
I’m a Virgo doesn’t have an official release date yet, with the teaser trailer only saying that it will be coming soon.
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