The premise for AMC’s Geek Out (working title) sounds fun. The pilot will be hosted by Ernest Cline, author of Ready Player One, one of my favorite science fiction novels.
Geek Out will feature Cline and his co-host as they pay it forward by traveling the country and surprising obsessed fans. Whether it be the guy who turned his apartment into an exact replica of the Starship Enterprise, the comic book fan whose body is covered in X-Men tattoos, or the suburban mom whose entire house is overflowing with Twilight memorabilia, it explores why that person is a super-fan and offers the surprise of a lifetime when the fan is given an awesome, otherwise unattainable experience related to their obsession.
AMC ANNOUNCES UNSCRIPTED PILOT
“GEEK OUT” (WORKING TITLE)
New York, NY – April 3, 2013 – AMC announced today it is piloting “Geek Out” (working title/wt), an unscripted project that takes the ultimate super-fan of a specific film, comic book, author, actor, athlete, musician, video game, or television series on an adventure that emotionally connects them to their obsession. Ernest Cline, best-selling author, screenwriter and fanboy aficionado is set to be one of the co-hosts. The network is currently casting for the second co-host. Cline will also serve as executive producer with Thinkfactory Media’s (“Gene Simmons Family Jewels,” “Hatfields & McCoys”) Leslie Greif, Adam Freeman, Adam Reed, and Dan Farah (a producer on the upcoming remake of the fanboy cult classic “The Crow”) under his Farah Films banner.
“‘Geek Out’ (w/t) is really a wish fulfillment show that features touching stories with stakes so real to the person involved that the audience will become engrossed in their journey and want to see their dream come true,” said Joel Stillerman, AMC’s EVP of original programming, production and digital content. “Conceptually, (w/t) ‘Geek Out’ is right in AMC’s wheelhouse of appealing to the fanboy community and ultimately creating an indelible moment in one lucky person’s life.”
“Geek Out (w/t) celebrates a different facet of fanboy and fan-girl culture, as we ‘geek out’ at the kind of epic level that usually only occurs at Comic Con,” Ernest Cline added.
“Geek Out” (w/t) will feature Cline and his co-host as they pay it forward by traveling the country and surprising obsessed fans. Whether it be the guy who turned his apartment into an exact replica of the Starship Enterprise, the comic book fan whose body is covered in X-Men tattoos, or the suburban mom whose entire house is overflowing with Twilight memorabilia, it explores why that person is a super-fan and offers the surprise of a lifetime when the fan is given an awesome, otherwise unattainable experience related to their obsession.
Cline first broke into the spotlight when he wrote the cult classic “Fanboys.” The screenplay focused on characters obsessed with all things Star Wars, a passion Cline has proudly enjoyed since childhood. Most recently, his debut novel, “Ready Player One,” a pop-culture and video game love-fest wrapped around a high concept, was a smash hit for Random House. Originally published in hardcover in August 2011, the book quickly landed on several Best of 2011 lists. Cline also found himself ranked #29 on USA Today’s Top 100 People of 2011 List, and largely celebrated as the face of geeks around the world. The paperback edition of Ready Player One went on to be a big hit in 2012, and the worldwide sales and buzz that followed have cemented Ernie’s place as a geek icon. Warner Brothers scooped up the film rights to Ready Player One in a splashy seven figure deal, and the studio is currently developing a movie based on the hit book. Cline’s follow up novel, “Armada” recently scored him seven-figures in advances for domestic and foreign publishing rights. Random House will publish Armada in North America, with a release date expected to be announced later this year. Universal aggressively scooped up the film rights to Armada, and is quickly developing a movie based on Cline’s book.