Ben Stiller is set to star in HBO’s new music industry drama series “The Band”.
Ben Stiller will star in HBO’s new series in development, The Band. The actor will play a scandal-plagued pop impresario and talent manager in the music industry drama.
Written by Search Party co-creators Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, the series centers around a character named Oscar (Stiller). Tasked with forming a new band to save his career and perhaps his soul, Oscar’s story promises to give viewers an inside look into the music industry. The character is said to be inspired by Simon Cowell, the man behind world-famous bands such as One Direction.
The project will be realized in partnership with Media Res and Stiller’s production company Red Hour Films. The two companies also produced two of Apple TV+’s most successful series, The Morning Show and Severance. In addition to Bliss and Rogers, executive producers on the series include Red Hour’s Stiller and John Lesher, Savan Kotecha and Media Res’s Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer.
The series, which will take a different approach to the music industry than HBO’s dark drama The Idol last year, will be an important turning point for Stiller. The famous actor, who has not played a leading role on television since The Ben Stiller Show in the 1990s, most recently guest starred in Arrested Development and HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Ben Stiller Takes a New Turn with The Band Series
Having served as a director in projects such as Severance and Escape at Dannemora in recent years, Stiller’s return to acting has also created great excitement on social media. The famous actor, who has starred in unforgettable films such as Meet the Parents, Zoolander, the Night at the Museum series and Tropic Thunder, is preparing to open a new page in his television career with The Band.
The series’ creators, Bliss and Rogers, have previously produced the critically acclaimed Search Party, which ran for five seasons, as well as projects such as Mozart in the Jungle and Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later. Media Res’ recent projects include Enigma Variations and Thumblite, which will be released on Netflix.
The Band, which is in development, will see the network reunite with Media Res, founded by former HBO drama executive Ellenberg. The company previously produced the Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac-starring series Scenes From a Marriage. However, it remains unclear who else will be involved or when it will air.
