As Yahoo takes the plunge into original scripted content, they probably couldn’t have picked a better person to hold their hand.
That’s because the first series the company will distribute comes from Hollywood favorite Tom Hanks. According to the AP, his program, “Electric City,” will debut this Spring, streaming exclusively on Yahoo.
Hanks has been working on Electric City for years, and after a couple mutations, the project has wound up as an animated series (original ideas for the series involved puppets).
Electric City is set to feature a post-apocalyptic landscape, and focus on a futuristic-city that is described as “seemingly peaceful” (sounds compellingly sinister?) The show will tackle various socially conscious themes like energy consumption as well as hot-button topics like freedom of information and crime in a future world.
The entire series has a 90-minute running time, similar to the length of a feature film. But it will stream in segments – 20 different episodes, each about 3 or 4 minutes long. Hanks’ signature is stamped all over the project, as he sports writing and producing credits and will even voice the lead character in the series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Exact financials have yet to be disclosed, but Yahoo’s executive VP Ross Levinsohn joked,
“This is the most money we’ve ever spent on a scripted show. Of course, it’s also the first scripted show.”
Yahoo is in the process of expanding their reach in the world of content. In December, they announced the launch of a new comedy channel that will kick off with an exclusive show from Bill Maher, called “CrazyStupidPolitics” and will broadcast from Silicon Valley.
Electric City will debut as a full-fledged internet series, equipped with interactive features and “social media connectivity.” It will also be available in multiple languages, including French and Spanish.
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