Anna Daniels
Will Smith is heading to Quibi.
The soon-to-launch streaming service has secured yet another of the world’s biggest stars to headline one of its short-form shows designed to offer “quick bites” of entertainment to subscribers. Smith is on board to host and executive produce a series called This Joka, which unfortunately does not involve him explaining actor’s cinematic portrayals of the DC Comics character Joker. (Bummer – the episode reuniting him with Suicide Squad co-star Jared Leto would have been great). Instead, it’s a stand-up comedy series that will be shot on location at…Topgolf? Get the details below.
Deadline brings word that a Will Smith Quibi series is on the way, courtesy of Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith‘s Westbrook Studios and Topgolf Entertainment Group. Yes, you read that correctly: Topgolf, the company primarily known for driving ranges with microchips embedded into its golf balls, has branched out into the entertainment world. It looks like they have several shows on YouTube (including one called Who Will Rock You that’s co-hosted by Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider), but this appears to be their first foray into a platform beyond that.
So what the heck is This Joka? Here’s the series description:
In This Joka, Smith invites a diverse lineup of up-and-coming, established, and legendary comedians to explore the nature of comedy and its unique ability to bring people together. Shot on location at Topgolf and other popular venues across Las Vegas, the series will showcase stand-up sets, as well as one-on-one conversations between Smith and the comedians, intimate interviews, and docu-style moments backstage and around the city.
Comedians featured in the show include Baron Vaughn, Megan Gailey, Punkie Johnson, Sean Patton, Rosebud Baker, Shane Torres, Clayton English, Christi Chiello, Vanessa Gonzalez, Martin Urbano, Sam Tallent, David Gborie, Jackie Fabulous, Chris Estraded, Rell Battle, and Daphnique Springs. That’s a cool opportunity for them, but as a viewer, the aspect I’m most excited about are the special guest appearances by Shawn Wasabi, George Wallace, and Demi Adejuyigbe – the latter of whom is one of the funniest people on the internet. (Chances are extremely high that you’ve seen one of his viral videos – he’s made several.) I specifically can’t wait to see Adejuyigbe come face to face with Will Smith, since he is a huge Smith fan and has parodied the actor/rapper multiple times over the years in videos like this one:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIEZkBR1yWw?feature=oembed&w=740&h=416]
As for Smith himself, in addition to being one of the biggest stars on the planet, he’s carved out a nice niche for himself on YouTube over the past couple of years, so hosting a mobile-only show like this should be a breeze for him. If you’re only familiar with his film and TV work, check this out:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFknCgyJOI4?feature=oembed&w=740&h=416]
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