Ziwe Fumudo has already earned a reputation for convincing people to give very candid interviews, and her next venture will apparently use some of those acting skills to execute a fictional scam for comedic effect.
Ziwe, last seen making Andrew Yang struggle to recall the name of a single Jay-Z song, reportedly will add an Amazon comedy to her already-full plate as a Showtime talk show host. According to a Variety report, Ziwe will develop a project for the streaming platform where she plays a young woman willing to grift her way to the American Dream:
The project follows Zoe, a wise-beyond-her-years 20-something who, debilitated by student debt, partners with a known grifter in a desperate bid to achieve the American Dream. The two prep school grads make an unlikely alliance all while secretly plotting to scam each other.
Ziwe is the writer and creator of the series, with Will Graham and Hailey Wierengo of Field Trip also executive producing. Wondaland Pictures — the production company founded by Janelle Monae, Chuck Lightning, Mikael Moore, and Nate Wonder — will also executive produce.
Ziwe has certainly found ways to make a splash in recent months, including her Stop Being Poor parody that went viral. A scripted comedy is a slightly different kind of muscle at work, but her already-long list of work with shows like Desus and Mero and Dickinson, not to mention a studio album in the works, certainly have a lot of people talking. There’s no word just yet on when we’ll see more of what Nigerian Princess looks like, but from the sounds of it there will be plenty of online grifting to enjoy very soon.
[via Variety]