Following the success of his dramatic turn in the 2020 film, Palmer, Justin Timberlake (Alpha Dog, The Social Network) is being eyed for another project at Apple TV+. According to Deadline, the Mickey Mouse Club alum is set to star as American game show host, Chuck Barris (Della, Who Killed Art Deco?), in a series about Barris’ life.
The hour-long series will be based on Barris’ 1984 memoir, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, according to Deadline. Born Charles Hirsch Barris, Barris became a household name as a game show creator, producer, and host throughout the 1960s and 70s. In addition to hosting The Gong Show, he created The Newlywed Game, The Dating Game, and other popular TV game shows. By the time of his memoir, Barris revealed his day job was a cover for his actual profession: an assassin for the CIA. Barris would eventually write more novels, many within the crime mystery realm, including the 2003 sequel to Confessions entitled, Bad Grass Never Dies. Barris passed away in 2017 at the age of 88.
According to Deadline, the series will be co-produced by Paramount TV Studios and Miramax. Miramax produced the 2003 film adaptation of Barris’ story starring Sam Rockwell (Fosse/Verdon, JoJo Rabbit) and directed by George Clooney (Midnight Sky, O Brother, Where Art Thou). The show will be executive produced by series showrunners David Hollander (Heartland, The Guardian) and Jon Worley (Justified, Allegiance). Worley will pen the pilot.
Timberlake is no stranger to television as he first broke on the scene as a child star of the 1990s reboot of The Mickey Mouse Club. The variety show starred several famous peers including artists Britney Spears (Circus, Crossroads), Christina Aguilera (Lotus, Burlesque), NSYNC bandmate JC Chasez (No Strings Attached, Celebrity), and actors Keri Russell (Felicity, The Americans) and Ryan Gosling (Drive, La La Land). On the film side, Timberlake’s first appeared in the 2007 true-crime drama, Alpha Dog, starring Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild, Speed Racer), Ben Foster (Hell or High Water, X-Men: The Last Stand), and the late Anton Yelchin (Odd Thomas, Star Trek Beyond).