Netflix today announced that Melissa Fumero (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) will star in its new series Blockbuster, a single-cam workplace comedy set in the last remaining Blockbuster video store.
The streaming service is also joining forces with Westbrook Studios’ Will Smith and Jon Mone and Yoruba Saxon’s David Oyelowo on a film adaptation of Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun.
Melissa Fumero will be starring in Blockbuster alongside Randall Park. Additional cast members will be announced soon by Netflix.
Blockbuster is an ensemble comedy that takes place in the last Blockbuster Video in America. The series explores what it takes — and more specifically, who it takes — for a small business to succeed against all odds.
Fumero will play Eliza, a dedicated mother whose marriage to her high school sweetheart is on the rocks. She left Harvard after one semester to start a family and now works at Blockbuster alongside Timmy (Park) as his trusty number two… and maybe more.
The 10-episode Blockbuster is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group. The series is created by Vanessa Ramos (Superstore, Brooklyn Nine-Nine).
David Caspe (Happy Endings, Black Monday) and Jackie Clarke (Superstore, Happy Endings) are also serving as writers/executive producers. John Davis and John Fox are also executive producers for Davis Entertainment (Jungle Cruise).
Melissa Fumero stars as Det. Amy Santiago on NBC’s Golden Globe Award-winning comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She is currently shooting the independent comedy feature Bar Fight, written/directed by Jim Mahoney and also starring Rachel Bloom. Melissa can be heard voicing the character of Melissa in Marvel’s animated series M.O.D.O.K. for Hulu.
Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tọlá Okogwu will be published by Simon & Schuster in the U.S. and U.K. this June.
Ola Shokunbi (Satellite, Indigo, upcoming A Yellow Heaven) is set to write the adaptation of the comic book for Netflix.
In the story, a teenager learns she has powers and travels to Nigeria to learn more about her origins. There, she discovers a threat to her newfound magical community.
The producers are Will Smith and Jon Mone of Westbrook Studios and David Oyelowo of Yoruba Saxon. The executive producers are Heather Washington and Jessica Oyelowo.
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills in 2018 to cover the latest news on streaming, movies, TV, and video games.