After failing to headline a hit feature film in years, Jim Carrey is returning to the small screen for the Showtime pilot I’m Dying Up Here. The series does not yet have a full season commitment, but with Carrey on board to star and executive produce the series, I would say it seems like a pretty sure bet. The pilot will be helmed by 50/50 director Jonathan Levine and is based on the non-fiction book of the same name.
I’m Dying Up Here is billed as a dark comedy that is set in the 1970s world of stand-up comedy. While the book focused on real comedians like Jay Leno, David Letterman, Andy Kaufman, Richard Lewis, Robin Williams, Elayne Boosler, Tom Dreesen, and many more, it is unknown if the series will take a fictionalized approach to these real lives or tell an original story.
Showtime president David Nevins had this to say about the project.
“The 1970s L.A. comedy scene gave rise to some of the biggest and most influential performers of the last half-century. Who better than Jim Carrey and Dave Flebotte, who were both there, to tell the story of that special era along with the complicated and talented performers that dared to grab an open mic.”
I like the idea of Carrey taking on more adult subject matter and with this being Showtime you know there won’t be any issues with language, drugs, or sexual content. Carrey has proven himself a talented dramatic actor and a series like this will allow him to explore his less spastic side and truly showcase what he can do as a performer. I just hope that the talent involved take this comedy seriously.
The pilot for I’m Dying Up Here is expected to film this fall.
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