Amazon Picks Up Boots Riley’s ‘I’m a Virgo’ Series Starring Jharrel Jerome

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon Studios has just acquired a new coming-of-age comedy series I’m a Virgo from Sorry to Bother You director Boots Riley and starring Emmy winner Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us).

Created, written and directed by Riley in its entirety, the coming-of-age tale centers on a 13-foot-tall Black man (Jerome) living in Oakland, California, with the tone of the 13-episode series once again featuring an absurdist comedic tone akin to Riley’s feature directorial debut.

“I’m thrilled to be working with Amazon on this project,” Riley said. “This show will either have me lauded or banned, and as such, I have demanded payment up front.”

Riley is currently set to executive produce the series alongside Media Res’ Michael Ellenberg, star Jerome and Tze Chun (Little America), while Media Res (The Morning Show) will serve as the studio for the series alongside Amazon.

Following his acclaimed debut in Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight in 2016, Jerome landed a main role in both the series adaptation of Stephen King’s Mr. Mercedes and Ava DuVernay’s Central Park Five Netflix series When They See Us, which netted the 23-year-old an Emmy for his performance. He will next be seen alongside Idris Elba (Hobbs & Shaw) and Caleb McLaughlin (Stranger Things) in the upcoming Western drama Concrete Cowboy, which debuted to highly positive reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival and is set to debut on Netflix in 2021.