Lamorne Morris to Star in Comedy Pilot ‘Woke’ at Hulu

By Joe Otterson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Hulu has ordered a pilot for a comedy series called “Woke” with Lamorne Morris set to star, Variety has learned.

“Woke” is a half-hour comedy with a mix of live-action and animation. It is inspired by the life and art of cartoonist Keith Knight. The series follows Keef (Morris), an African-American cartoonist living in San Francisco, who’s finally on the cusp of mainstream success when an unexpected incident changes everything.

Knight co-wrote the project with “Barbershop” scribe Marshall Todd, with both set to serve as executive producers. Will Gluck and Richie Schwartz will executive produce via Olive Bridge Entertainment along with Eric Christian Olsen and Katie Schumaecker for Cloud Nine Productions. Mo Marable will direct the pilot. Sony Pictures Television will produce.

Morris is best known for playing the cat-loving and bird shirt-wearing Winston Bishop on the popular Fox comedy “New Girl” throughout its seven-season run at the network. Morris also recently starred in the comedy feature “Game Night” and is set to appear in the Nat Geo series “Valley of the Boom.” He will also appear in Netflix’s “The Christmas Chronicles,” the untitled Danny Boyle-Richard Curtis project at Universal, and “Bloodshot” at Sony.

Knight is an award-winning comic strip creator whose work includes autobiographical strips like “The K Chronicles,” “The Knight Life,” and “(th)ink.” His cartoons have appeared in several national publications and tackle social, racial and class issues as well as poking fun at the minutiae of urban living.

Morris is repped by UTA, Grandview, and Myman Greenspan. Knight is repped by 3 Arts Entertainment. Todd is repped by Gersh, Principato-Young Entertainment, and attorney Mark S. Temple.
Olsen is repped by UTA, Ellen Meyer Management, and Hansen Jacobson. Gluck is repped by UTA and Sloane Offer.