FXX has picked up its first original series, giving orders to an animated comedy from the gang behind Eastbound & Down and Archer.
Chozen hails from Grant Dekernion, who will write and executive produce the animated comedy about a gay white rapper recently released from prison who uses his new survival skills in his quest for redemption. Dekernion will also rap the songs featured in the series.
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Danny McBride, Jody Hill and David Gordon Green of Rough House Pictures -- the team behind HBO's Eastbound & Down -- will exec produce along with Adam Reed and Matt Thompson of Floyd County Productions (Archer), who will animate the series. The characters in the FX Productions effort will be voiced by Saturday Night Live's Bobby Moynihan, Michael Pena, Hannibal Buress, Kathryn Hahn, Nick Swardson, Method Man, Dekernion and McBride.
Dekernion, a friend of McBride's, took the idea to the actor and his production company in February 2012, when the project was put in development at FX. FX ordered Chozen to pilot in March when the cable network officially unveiled plans to launch FXX.
“It’s great to be in business with Grant, Danny, Jody, David and Rough House, and this is the perfect first series order for FXX,” said Nick Grad, newly elevated president of original programming at FX Networks and FX Productions. "Chozen is an outrageous and ballsy comedy, but it’s also a very smart examination of the rap culture.”
FXX, which will launch Sept. 2, will focus on a younger demo and see FX comedies including It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Legit and now nightly talker Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell move to the new network.
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FX Networks and FX Productions CEO John Landgraf, who was promoted to the post this week, said at the time that the fourth scripted series would likely come from one of the handful of pilots in development at the News Corp.-owned cabler.
Chozen joins fellow animated entry Archer in the FX family, with the latter staying put on the flagship network for its fifth season.
HBO, meanwhile, has yet to set a premiere date for the fourth season of McBride's Eastbound & Down, which was renewed in July.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit
