Netflix has ordered a new sitcom about the last remaining Blockbuster Video store, which will star WandaVision's Randall Park. Blockbuster, the once-popular video and DVD rental store, first opened in 1985 and expanded steadily throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s. The business reached its peak in 2004 with over 9,000 stores and nearly 85,000 employees around the world.
With growing competition from companies like Netflix, previously a mail-order DVD business, Redbox's automated DVD rental kiosks, and mounting pressure due to the 2008 financial crisis, Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy protection in 2010. After several years of financial struggle, most remaining Blockbuster stores were shuttered in 2014, with only a few privately owned franchises stores remaining in various places around the world. Now, only one Blockbuster store remains. The store is located in Bend, Oregon, which Netflix made a documentary about in 2020.
As per Deadline, a new series based on the last Blockbuster store is in the works at Netflix. The series will follow a tight-knit group of employees working at the last remaining Blockbuster Video in the world. The series, Blockbuster, has been given a 10-episode series order and will star Randall Park, best known for The Interview, Always Be My Maybe, Fresh Off the Boat and, most recently, WandaVision. The series is said to explore how the last Blockbuster employees keep their small business afloat against all odds.
The single-camera project was initially set for NBC and is created by Vanessa Ramos, who has previously worked on hit sit-coms Superstore and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. David Caspe and Jackie Clarke, who worked on Superstore and Happy Endings, are also serving as writers and executive producers on the show. John Davis and John Fox are also executive producing for Davis Entertainment. The show will use authentic Blockbuster logos and uniforms and feature an ensemble cast, but no other actors have been announced yet. Netflix's Head of Comedy, Tracey Pakosta, said the series would focus on the "story of a dedicated group of co-workers with a lot of heart."
It's certainly ironic that Netflix, once Blockbuster's biggest competitor, is creating a series that seeks to capitalize on the nostalgia people feel for the now-defunct video rental store. However, given this central irony and its casting of a beloved comedic actor like Park, the series does have the potential to be a hit. There is an entire generation of audiences who grew up with Blockbuster as a big part of their lives and, if the series can capture the magic of strolling through a Blockbuster store's shelves of DVDs on a Friday night or getting an obscure movie recommendation from the Tarantino-loving employee at the front desk, it's sure to find a passionate fan base. While Park has been confirmed as the series lead, the release date for Blockbuster remains a mystery for now.
Source: Deadline
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