First there wasEastbound and Down, then there wasVice Principals, and now there’sThe Righteous Gemstones. Yes indeed, details onDanny McBrideandJody Hill’s next HBO series have finally surfaced, asTHRreports that McBride will write, executive produce, direct, and star in a pilot for a comedy calledThe Righteous Gemstonesalongside the living legendJohn Goodman. The potential series chronicles the life of a famous televangelist family “with a long traditional of deviance, greed and charitable work, all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Goodman will play Eli Gemstone, the patriarch of the family and a force in the ministry game known for his aggressive salvation techniques, global ministries, and award-winning weekly television program. But Eli’s light is fading, and McBride fills the role of his eldest son Jesse, heir to the throne and a man who forges his own path. Jesse considers himself a “maverick” in the ministry game, and aims to expand upon the legacy that Eli has built.
Hill, who co-created, executive produced, directed, and co-wroteEastbound and DownandVice Principals, is executive producing alongside McBride through their Rough House Pictures banner, with frequent collaboratorDavid Gordon Greenalso executive producing. I spoke with Hill recently about his upcoming Netflix filmThe Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter(which co-stars McBride) and while he was mum about details regarding their next HBO project, he did say McBride was spearheading it. Indeed, McBride made his directorial debut on two episodes of the excellent HBO comedy limited seriesVice Principals, and he’s taking point onThe Righteous Gemstonesby helming the pilot.
McBride, Hill, and Green have formed a pretty tight-knit filmmaking group, to the point that through 18 episodes ofVice Principals, the three of them served as the show’s only directors. So we can reasonably expect Hill and Green to at least direct some ofThe Righteous Gemstoneshould HBO pick the pilot up to series.
Scheduling will be tricky as Goodman will be starring in the ABCRoseannespinoffThe Conners, which debuts on ABC this fall, but they could certainly put the pilot together this summer then shoot the full HBO series during Goodman’s hiatus. Regardless, this is a match made in heaven, and the choice of material here is inspired, so I do hope this pilot goes to series.
