Kirsten Dunst-Led Dark Comedy From Producer George Clooney Scores Series Order at YouTube Premium

By Joe Otterson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – YouTube Premium has given a series order to the dark comedy “On Becoming a God in Central Florida,” Variety has learned.

Kirsten Dunst stars in and executive produces the series, with George Clooney and Grant Heslov executive producing via their Smokehouse Pictures banner.

The show, which was previously in development at AMC, is described as a darkly comedic tale about the cult of free enterprise and one young woman’s relentless pursuit of the American dream. Set near Orlando in the early 1990s, the show centers on Krystal Gill (Dunst), a minimum-wage-earning water park employee who will eventually scheme her way up the ranks of Founders American Merchandise: the cultish, flag waving, multi-billion dollar pyramid scheme that drove her family to ruin. YouTube has ordered a 10-episode first season, which is slated to debut in 2019.

The series was co-created by Robert Funke and Matt Lutsky, who will executive produce in addition to writing. Esta Spalding will also executive produce and serve as showrunner, with Charlie McDowell directing and executive producing. TriStar Television will produce.

The series was a passion project for the late Suzanne Patmore Gibbs, who was the head of TriStar TV at the time of her death in March . The well-respected development executive was said to be heavily involved with the project before her death. Sarah Shepard of Smokehouse is also said to have been a champion of the show throughout the development process.

, formerly YouTube Red, scored their first breakout hit this year with the launch of the “Karate Kid” follow up series “Cobra Kai.” The streamer launched the animated comedy “Dallas & Robo” featuring the voices of Kat Dennings and John Cena earlier this year along with shows like the thriller series “Impulse” from executive producer Doug Liman and the dance drama “Step Up: High Water.”

Dunst is repped by UTA and Management 360. Smokehouse Pictures is repped by CAA. Spalding is repped by UTA. Funke and Lutsky are represented by CAA and manager Peter Heller. McDowell is repped by ICM.