Wimble-Dumb: Andy Samberg to Play Tennis Star in HBO Mockumentary
Andy Samberg is setting aside his badge and picking up a racket. The Brooklyn Nine-Nine star is set to play a “superstar tennis bad boy” in a new HBO comedy event focused on a seven-day Wimbledon showdown. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the one-off mockumentary, titled 7 Days in Hell, will find Samberg’s character, Aaron Williams, squaring off with rival prodigy/”certified truck driver” Charles Lloyd Poole (Game of Thrones‘ Kit Harington) at Wimbledon 2004.
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Rounding out the all-star cast will be Lena Dunham (Girls), Fred Armisen (Portlandia, Late Night With Seth Meyers), Will Forte (Last Man on Earth), Howie Mandel, Karen Gillan, Michael Sheen, Mary Steenburgen, June Squibb and broadcast journalist Soledad O’Brien (as herself). No further character details were provided, though additional cast members are expected to be announced.
7 Days in Hell was conceptualized by Samberg and Murray Miller (writer/executive-producer for HBO’s Girls). The project will be written by Miller; directed by Jake Szymanski (Funny or Die, formerly SNL); executive-produced by Samberg, Miller and David Bernad (Enlightened); and co-executive-produced by Jonathan Buss (The Sixties).
HBO has made a number of exciting announcements in recent months. The network is planning to air a concert film based on Beyoncé and Jay Z’s “On the Run” tour in September, while the fan-favorite filmmaker series Project Greenlight is being revived later this year under the leadership of producers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Meanwhile, the hilarious political satire Veep and the Mike Judge-created tech-industry sitcom Silicon Valley have both been renewed for 2015.