Ben Stiller Is Getting 'The Band' Together for HBO With New Series

1 month ago 22

Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder) is sticking with television, at least for the time being. Deadline revealed that, after successfully bringing to life the acclaimed and hit TV series Severance for Apple TV+, the actor, director, and producer is now developing a new comedy/drama series with HBO. The Band will be composed of hour-long episodes and the story is set against the backdrop of the music industry. Since the project is in early stages, dates and additional cast members are yet to be announced.

If The Band gets to play on HBO, it will represent Stiller's first major role on TV after guest starring in titles like Arrested Development, Burning Love, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and others. In the new series he will play Oscar, a talent mogul who is in desperate search of a new act in order to save his own career. According to Deadline, Oscar will have some Simon Cowell vibes, and his mission will be to put together a boy band with a huge following, just like Cowell did with One Direction.

The Band is created by Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, who will also serve as showrunners. The duo previously created the comedy Search Party for Max. Shows that depict the music industry are a bit of a hit-or-miss, and HBO is fresh out of a botched try. In 2023, the network released The Idol, a show created by The Weeknd and Sam Levinson that was poorly received with a 19% score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, other shows like Empire, Nashville, and Girls5eva have managed to last longer. So it all depends on how audiences respond to it.

What's Next For Ben Stiller?

Stiller worked hard on Severance and so far directed three episodes from Season 2, which, of course, means that he's deeply involved with the sci-fi series. However, he has a pretty solid slate of projects under development, both as director and actor. He is set to direct the political biopic Bag Man, about Nixon's VP Spiro Agnew, and is also attached to helm episodes of the upcoming series Super Sad True Love Story — a project that’s been in development for a decade.

As an actor, Stiller will star as as Hal L in the highly anticipated sequel Happy Gilmore 2, with Adam Sandler (Murder Mystery 2) back in the lead. The sequel comes almost 30 years after the first installment was released, and the cast also features Margaret Qualley (The Substance), Julie Bowen (Modern Family) and Bad Bunny (Bullet Train). Stiller will remain in the sports world with The Dink, a tennis comedy about a washed up player. Last but not least, he'll play none other than famous author Norman Mailer in the Andrew Haigh (All Of Us Strangers) movie Belly of the Beast.