Barbershop TV Series Now in the Works at Amazon

A series based on the 2002 comedy drama Barbershop is now in the works at Amazon Studios, a report by Deadline has revealed. Now that Amazon owns everything that once fell under the MGM Studios umbrella, they have begun working on expanding some of these, with Barbershop now set to get the serial treatment.

Beginning with the first Barbershop back in the early noughties, this smart comedy details a day in the life of a barbershop on the south side of Chicago. Led by Ice Cube as Calvin, who inherits the struggling business from his deceased father and sadly views the shop as nothing but a burden and a waste of his time, he decides to sell the shop to a local loan shark. Of course, Calvin slowly begins to see his father’s vision and legacy and struggles with the notion that it has now been sold.

Directed by Tim Story and written by Mark Brown, Don D. Scott and Marshall Todd, was met with positive reviews and went on to become a major commercial success, spawning a sequel in 2004’s Barbershop 2: Back in Business.

This won’t be the first time Barbershop has been turned into a series, with Barbershop: The Series debuting in 2005. It was some time before the property was revisited again, with a third movie, Barbershop: The Next Cut, being released in 2016. While we have no idea what Amazon’s Barbershop series will be about, it’s likely to follow the trials and tribulations of, you guessed it, running the titular establishment.

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Amazon Studios Now Planning Multiple Projects Based on MGM Franchises

A Barbershop series is far from the only project that Amazon Studios now has planned. Following their acquisition of MGM Studios last year, the streaming platform is now working on expanding several recognizable franchises, including Robocop, Stargate, Legally Blonde, Poltergeist, Fame, The Magnificent Seven, Pink Panther and The Thomas Crown Affair. Many of these will reportedly receive both movies and television series, with the likes of the RoboCop and Legally Blonde set to get this treatment, while The Pink Panther is expected to be getting an animated movie.

“MGM has a nearly century-long legacy of producing exceptional entertainment, and we share their commitment to delivering a broad slate of original films and television shows to a global audience,” Amazon’s Mike Hopkins, who leads the way on Amazon Studios and streaming service Prime Video said upon Amazon’s purchasing of MGM. “We welcome MGM employees, creators, and talent to Prime Video and Amazon Studios, and we look forward to working together to create even more opportunities to deliver quality storytelling to our customers.”

After what was no doubt some very stressful negotiations, Amazon Studios officially purchased MGM in March 2021, paying $8.5 billion and thus adding an assortment of recognizable and award-winning movie and television titles to their ever-growing roster.

Though it has taken a little while for Amazon Studios to announce much related to the MGM IPs they now possess, it certainly sounds like that’s all going to change moving forward as they aim to find future potential in (and squeeze every cent out of) these beloved franchises.