It’s kind of funny to see how much money streaming services are readily willing to throw at possible new movies or TV shows. Who can say what the viewer-ship may be for some of these products? That’s why it’s rather commendable to see the format Amazon has been so keen to stick with for the past couple of years.
Every Spring and Fall, the on-line giant puts out 3 pilots that have the opportunity to be picked up and a full season produced. Each pilot is free to view, as afterwards there is the option for people to vote for their favorite entries. Fall 2016 was specially fruitful, with all 3 pilots getting pushed to series, coming as a delightful surprise to all. While The Tick (which was one of the winners) has already been released, another potential hit is right around the corner. A show, no-less, that has one of the most improbably ludicrous plot synopsis in a some time:
Global martial arts & film sensation Jean-Claude Van Damme plays “Jean-Claude Van Damme,” a global martial arts & film sensation, also operating under the simple alias of “Johnson” as the world’s most dangerous undercover operative. Unhappily retired, a chance encounter lures him back into the game, forcing him to confront the greatest enemy he’s ever faced.
A full trailer for Jean Claude Van Johnson has just been released and it sure has a lot going on. Take a look:
That looks just meta enough and just wild enough to be really funny. JCVD, the one that exists in our reality, somehow has the ability to reinvent himself every handful of years. This latest stretch, which focuses a great deal on self-deprecating humor has proven to be his most fruitful. It will be interesting to see how this translates to a 6 episode season. Going from the pilot alone, the understand the balance of being totally off the wall, while keeping things relatively grounded. That gets harder to balance when developing a storyline, but hope does exist. If word from the director of the project, Peter Atencio, is any indication, there is very good reason to be excited: “It’s less a tv series and more the best Van Damme movie you’ve never seen. The ultimate action-dramedy.” Sold.
We’ll all find out soon enough as the first season is released in full exclusively on Amazon Prime starting on December 15th! Mark your calendars now!
