‘MacGruber’ Series Ordered at Peacock, Will Forte Reprising Main Role
MacGruber is officially back in action.
Peacock has issued an eight-episode order for a “MacGruber” series which will see Will Forte reprise the role he created while on “Saturday Night Live.” News of the pick up was announced at the NBCUniversal streamer’s TCA press day, and comes around eight months after the show was first put in development.
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The half-hour series is an adaptation of the 2010 feature film of the same name, and will also be directed by the film’s helmer Jorma Taccone, of Lonely Island fame.
Peacock’s take on “MacGruber” will begin with the main character, described as America’s ultimate hero and uber patriot, being released from prison after rotting in there for over a decade. His new mission will be to take down a mysterious villain from his past—Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth. With the entire world in the crosshairs, MacGruber must race against time to defeat the forces of evil, only to find that evil may be lurking within.
Watch the teaser Peacock used to announce the pick up below:
The character started out as a “MacGyver” parody on “SNL” in 2007, before snagging his own movie. The film version starred Forte alongside Kristen Wiig as Vicki (MacGruber’s colleague and love interest) and Ryan Phillippe as Piper (who becomes part of MacGruber’s team). Val Kilmer starred as the villainous Dieter Von Cunth. The film grossed just over $9 million in theaters against a $10 million budget.
Forte will also write and executive produce this new series alongside John Solomon and Taccone (all three of whom co-wrote the original film). Lorne Michaels, John Goldwyn, Andrew Singer and Erin David also serve as executive producers. The series hails from Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, and Broadway Video.
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