Star Adam Devine reveals the Pitch Perfect TV show is set to begin filming in January in Germany and offers new details for the spin-off. The musical comedy franchise was created by Kay Cannon and first kicked off in 2012 with the eponymous film featuring an ensemble cast led by Anna Kendrick. The Pitch Perfect films centered on Beca, an aspiring DJ who joins the all-female a cappella group The Bellas at her college and their journey through multiple music competitions and a USO tour.
The Pitch Perfect franchise kicked off as a sleeper hit in its first film, grossing over $115 million worldwide against its $17 million budget and scoring largely positive reviews from critics. Though its sequels failed to capture the same critical success, they would both garner strong financial returns, with Pitch Perfect 2 grossing over $287 million against its $29 million budget and Pitch Perfect 3 grossing over $183 million against its $45 million budget, all of which set a new record for the highest-grossing musical comedy film previously set by School of Rock. Though the third film was intended to conclude the franchise, Universal Pictures is keeping the property alive with a Pitch Perfect spin-off series centered on Adam Devine's Bumper Allen.
While speaking with Collider for the long-awaited The Righteous Gemstones season 2, Devine revealed that the Pitch Perfect TV show is set to begin filming in January in Germany. The star also offered new details on the series, expressing his excitement to see his antagonistic character Bumper get to "grow a little bit." See what Devine said below:
“No way in hell did I think this was gonna be a thing that was gonna happen. I wouldn't have thought of it, in a million years, but I always loved playing that character. I never shot down or poo-pooed the idea. So, when that opportunity came around, I was like, 'I think this could be a really fun thing to try.' And so, we're already deep in the process. We have scripts coming out. At the top of the New Year, I'm gonna head off to Germany and become Bumper Allen once again.
I'm excited to see him grow a little bit. Bumper was pretty one-dimensional. He was just a maniac. And then, in the second movie, you see a little crack in the facade of a guy that is just so insecure that he has to put on this little Butterball of braggadocio. He's this little guy who's just singing and dancing and is way too intense for his own good, and obviously there's some underlying insecurity there. So, I'm excited to watch him. What happened in those seven or eight years between the last time we saw him to now. I'm assuming quite a bit. I'm really excited that the scripts are coming in great. Megan Amram, who was a producer on The Good Place and Parks and Rec, is showrunning the show and she's doing an amazing job. I'm excited to shoot that.”
The announcement of a Pitch Perfect TV show on Devine's Bumper left many fans with mixed feelings, namely as the character served as one of the primary antagonists of the first film in the competition against the Bellas. Additionally, the show's shift away from the sense of sisterhood in the Pitch Perfect films has left many wondering why the decision was made to revive the franchise for Bumper. Despite these mixed feelings from fans, Devine's comments on how the show is looking to grow Bumper into a more layered character than that seen in the first two films should come as reassuring.
While a male-centered series may seem an odd future for the Pitch Perfect franchise, the show is still being led by a female voice with five-time Emmy nominee Megan Amram. With her past work including such hits as NBC's Parks and Recreation and The Good Place, the latter of which also netted her a Golden Globe nomination, the series certainly looks to be in good hands to deliver something even skeptical fans can enjoy. The untitled Pitch Perfect TV show is currently slated for a 2022 release on Peacock.
Source: Collider