Adam Devine will reprise his role as Bumper in a straight-to-series comedy sequel to the Pitch Perfect film trilogy. Elizabeth Banks, who played half of the voiceover crew in the feature films and directed the second, will executive produce through her Brownstone Productions banner.
Unlike the films, which followed an all-female a cappella group, the TV series will pick up several years after Devine's last appearance on Pitch Perfect and see Bumper move to Germany to revive her music career when one of her songs become famous in Berlin. Banks will executive produce along with Brownstone's Max Handelman, Gold Circle's Paul Brooks, Scott Neimeyer, Devine and Megan Amram (The Good Place). Amram will serve as writer and showrunner. An episode count has yet to be determined.
Stars: Adam Devine, Diana Birenyte, Jameela Jamil
"Our upcoming series Pitch Perfect is another example of the unmatched synergy that NBCUniversal can expand with our extensive library of IP," said Susan Rovner, president of entertainment content for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “When we saw an opportunity to create a series for Pitch Perfect with Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman and Paul Brooks, as well as more earworm classics for super fans to enjoy, we jumped at it. And to top it all off, we're so lucky that Adam Devine is spearheading the series and giving fans the quirky, giggly sensibility they've come to love in the film franchise."
At Rovner's point, Pitch Perfect becomes the latest Universal Pictures title to receive the television treatment, joining Field of Dreams and Ted, who hail from Mike Schur (The Good Place) and Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy), respectively. Other updates based on Universal's TV and movie titles are also in the works on Peacock, including Battlestar Galactica and Saved by the Bell, the latter of which was renewed for a second season. The strategy mirrors that of other upstart streamers, with HBO Max, Disney+ and Paramount+ all mining their deep IP vaults in a bid to attract subscribers.
"We're thrilled to have the opportunity to bring Universal Pictures' beloved Pitch Perfect franchise to the small screen and explore the fun and diverse characters in this (music-filled) world," said Erin Underhill, president of Universal Television. that she produces the new series Pitch Perfect. “We are fortunate to partner with the talented Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman and Paul Brooks, who produced the iconic films; the exceptionally funny and memorable Adam Devine; and Megan Amram, whose clever adaptation of Pitch Perfect is sure to have audiences roaring with laughter and tapping their feet."
Inspired by Mickey Rapkin's book of the same name, Pitch Perfect's three performances have grossed nearly $600 million worldwide. While Devine's Bumper was the central girl group's rival in the first season, he became the love interest of Rebel Wilson's "Fat Amy" in the second season. Anna Kendrick, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow and Wilson starred in all three films, with Hailee Steinfeld joining for the second and third. Ben Platt and Skylar Astin starred alongside Devine in the first two.
Meanwhile, for Banks, the television series Pitch Perfect falls out of her first television deal with Warner Bros, where she has the Flinstones Bedrock offshoot in the works at Fox and other series in multiple stages of development. Banks and her Brownstone poster of hers are also under contract to Universal, for whom they're doing Invisible Woman, The Magic School Bus, and others.