Trio teaming with Michael Koman to develop ‘Chelm: The Smartest Place on Earth,’ a family-friendly animated comedy set in the mythical ‘Town of Fools.’
HBO Max and Cartoon Network has assembled a veritable comedy A-team with Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat and Who Is America?), Greg Daniels (King of the Hill), Mike Judge (King of the Hill), and Michael Koman (SNL, Co-Creator of Nathan for You, and executive producer of HBO’s How To with John Wilson) bringing their finely honed (... and age appropriate?) humor to kids and families with the animated special, Chelm: The Smartest Place on Earth.
Set in the mythical “Town of Fools” and originally told in Yiddish, the special shares the absurdist humor and interpretive questioning that is a nod to Jewish intellectual traditions. Narrated by Cohen, the special will present a fresh take on the silly antics and exaggerated conflicts of the town, while also preserving the essence and heart of the classic folktales.
“This pitch was so hilarious; we just knew the HBO Max audience needed to get a dose of this original brand of storytelling,” said Amy Friedman, head of kids & family programming, Warner Bros. “Chelm: The Smartest Place on Earth is a perfect pairing of comedy and satire, and no one does that combination better than Sacha, Greg, Mike, and Michael. This unique project will breathe new, hysterical life into the nonsensical Chelmic wisdom that originated from this imaginary city of folks who aren’t quite the sharpest tools in the shed.”
Cohen, Daniels, and Judge have teamed up in their newly formed Bandera Entertainment, to develop the story with Koman, who is also attached to write. The four will executive produce the special, alongside Bandera’s president Dustin Davis.
Source: WarnerMedia
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
