Prolific and hilarious political cartoonist Keith Knight is getting a pilot based on…his life. Woke is shooting for Hulu and will star New Girl’s Lamorne Morris.
Titled Woke, the half-hour, single-camera comedy revolves around an African-American cartoonist who is on the cusp of mainstream success when his mild comics take a decidedly provocative tone following a run-in with police. Now, Keef (Morris) is in an irreversible state of “woke” as he struggles to navigate his day-to-day existence — without blowing up everything he’s built — while animated objects invade his reality.
The potential series will be a combination of live-action with animated sequences. Knight will pen the script alongside Marshall Todd (2002’s Barbershop). Sony Pictures Television-based Will Gluck and his Olive Bridge Entertainment partner Richie Schwartz will exec produce alongside Kate Schumaecker, John Will and Eric Christian Olsen. Production on the pilot is expected to begin in January. Mo Marable will direct the pilot.
The Hollywood Reporter notes that animated fare is among the top streamers at both Hulu and Netflix, making this a natural.
The Beat has been promoting Knight’s work for….years, and his signature blend of introspection, observation, and acknowledging the realities of life as a black man in America, should give this show plenty of material for a hilarious run.
Along with the K Chronicles, his best known comics outlet, Knight has a flurry of strips called (th)Ink, Daily and more. You can see it all at his website. He’s also known for his searing slideshow “They Shoot Black People, Don’t They”.
Knight joins James Thurber, Dean Haspiel and sort of Cathy Guisewaite as cartoonists who were immortalized in sitcoms of one sort or another.
Hooray…Keith is a generous sweet heart … his kindness and perceptions deserve to be in every nook and cranny of society. I look forward to this. Thanks for the report.
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