Justin Timberlake Will Play Gong Show Host Chuck Barris In New Series

Justin Timberlake will star in a new hour-long drama series about game show host Chuck Barris. The series was won in an auction by Apple, which will release to Apple TV+, the streaming platform that had success with Timberlake’s latest acting gig, Palmer. Barris, who died in 2017, is most famous for his work on classic game shows of the ’60s and ’70s, such as hosting The Gong Show, and creating both The Newlywed Game and The Dating Game.

However, Barris made headlines in 1984 after publishing his autobiography, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. in which he alleged that he worked as a CIA assassin during his time on television. He claims his work as a game show host was all a cover. Reported byDeadline, the new AppleTV+ program will explore the aforementioned book. The series remains untitled, but will be produced by both Miramax, who also produced the George Clooney-directed big-screen adaptation of the biography, and Paramount. The show will be executive produced and run by David Hollander, who is currently executive producing on Ray Donavan, and Jon Worley, a writer and producer whose work includes Justified and Iron Fist. 

While the validity of Chuck Barris’s story can be disputed—the CIA has denied the television producer’s claims—it undoubtedly made a mark. The autobiographyinspired Clooney to put on his director’s hat for the first time with the 2002 film, which was written by Charlie Kaufman and starred Sam Rockwell as Barris. Pursuing the story for the small screen leaves further room for Apple and Timberlake to explore the mysterious story further.

Source: Deadline

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Nadira Goffe
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Nadira Goffe is a movie/TV news writer for Screen Rant. She got her masters in Media Studies at the University of Leeds in 2019. Additionally, Nadira is a podcast host, writer, and occasional baker. She is based out of her hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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