Superhero Series ‘Trill League,’ Produced By 50 Cent, Joins Quibi’s Animation Slate
Ahead of its launch in April, short-form content platform Quibi (stands for “Quick Bites”) is going on a commissioning spree to rival the major streamers, and animation is a part of its plans. The company has just announced its latest animated series: an adaptation of Anthony Piper’s superhero comic Trill League, executive-produced by rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.
Set in a universe of black superheroes, Trill League gleefully sends up well-known comic book characters, parodying everything from Naruto to Power Rangers. Piper initially funded the comic with a Kickstarter campaign, which collected over $20,000 after launching in 2015. As per the Kickstarter page, “Trill League is a hilarious parody combining the world of superheroes, anime, and hip-hop culture.”
Piper is teaming up with Jameel Saleem, whose credits include South Park and Matt Groening’s Disenchanted, to write the show. Jackson’s G-Unit Film & Television and 3 Arts Entertainment is producing association with Lionsgate Television. 3 Arts’s Jermaine Johnson is executive-producing alongside Jackson.
In 2017, Piper pitched a Trill League series to Adult Swim, but nothing came of it. At the time, Piper wrote on the show’s Facebook page: “Adult Swim has not ‘officially’ turned down the series, as I just received some feedback and critiques last week. However, if I were to be pragmatic about its chances, they are relatively low with them or any other network and SVOD platform.”
Trill League is the third animated series to be announced for Quibi. The first is Your Daily Horoscope, a — yep — daily horoscope show aimed at adults. It stars 12 millennial zodiac animals whose storylines revolve around the horoscopes they represent. The show was created by digital media company ATTN. Will Arnett and his company Electric Avenue are executive-producing, with Tom Werner.
The second series is The Andy Cohen Diaries, in which the titular writer-broadcaster will share anecdotes from his colorful life. Cohen will executive-produce the six-episode series through his company Most Talkative Productions, together with Shadowmachine co-founders Corey Campodonico and Alex Bulkley (Bojack Horseman, Final Space).
Quibi will launch on April 6, 2020. The company is the brainchild of Hollywood mogul and Dreamworks Animation founder Jeffrey Katzenberg.
As it gears up to enter an increasingly crowded streaming market, the platform is differentiating itself from its rivals by focusing on short-form content for mobile-first viewing. Series will consist of episodes of between eight and ten minutes, with short daily news and sports programming also offered.
A monthly subscription will cost $5 with ads, $8 without. See the official website for more.