Amazon has ordered a pilot for “Red Oaks,” a comedy produced by Steven Soderbergh and directed by “Eastbound & Down” vet David Gordon Green.
As is Amazon’s tradition, customers will watch and give feedback on which of the site’s pilots they want turned into full series. Written by Gregory Jacobs (“The Knick”) and Joe Gangemi (“Eliza Graves”), “Red Oaks” stars Craig Roberts as an assistant tennis pro at the Red Oaks Country Club in suburban New Jersey in 1985.
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Paul Reiser (“Mad About You”), Richard Kind (“Luck”), Jennifer Grey (“It’s Like, You Know”) and Oliver Cooper (“Californication”) also star in the pilot.
“To be able to collaborate with Steven, David and Greg, three of the most highly-regarded creators in Hollywood, is an absolute pleasure,” said Roy Price, director of Amazon Studios. “‘Red Oaks’ brings together not only top-notch talent, but also a hilarious and wonderfully written script that we think our customers will enjoy seeing come to life later this year.”
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“Greg Jacobs told me this idea on the set of ‘Behind the Candelabra’ and I told him it was great and that he should start working on it immediately,” said Steven Soderbergh. “Then, while we were on the set of ‘The Knick’ he gave me the script he wrote with Joe Gangemi and I said, ‘This is ready to go, let’s find a director.’ We very quickly agreed to approach David because the humor was sharp without being mean, and we felt he would understand and appreciate that.”
The pilot is part of Amazon’s third pilot season, which also includes “The Cosmopolitans,” “Hand of God,” “Hysteria” and “Really.”