Two elements of this story are very interesting, indeed. The first part: Tom Hanks, under his production company Playtone, has created an animated science fiction series called Electric City. That’s fun enough all by itself, because if there’s anything we know about Tom Hanks, it’s that he creates great science fiction. We’re kidding. Actually, it’s the tiniest bit surprising, but in a good way! The other interesting part: it will make its debut exclusively on Yahoo!, the “internet portal,” marking the first venture of this kind. Which means Google is totally going to try to get George Clooney to do something with them, probably immediately.
While no details or a synopsis were provided, it was disclosed that Hanks will provide the voice of the lead character. There are also 20 episodes planned, each about four minutes long, and they will begin running in the spring. Yahoo! does actually post some original content, though this will be the first time it does something fictional; they have been producing a host of news-related videos for years.
Yahoo! has big plans for more projects like these, and has high hopes for Electric City and what may come after the series is seen by all those internet users:
Electric City, for example, could also be a game, and if the show proves popular it could work its way to home video, TV and even a 90-minute theatrical release.
Along with Hanks, Yahoo! executive vice president of the Americas Ross Levinsohn will be screening clips from Electric City tomorrow at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas. Their 45-minute presentation will introduce an exclusive audience to the show, at which point they’ll start brainstorming ideas for more integrated media projects. Yahoo! seems intent on becoming a force in entertainment. Not only are they behind Electric City, but they also partnered with Funny or Die on a 13-minute parody of the Republican Presidential debates which featured an appearance by Larry King and will introduce the Yahoo Comedy Channel on February 23.
So — your move, Googs.
(via The Hollywood Reporter)
