Sacha Baron Cohen is getting animated for a new comedy special from HBO Max and Cartoon Network called Chelm: The Smartest Place On Earth. Baron Cohen is joined on the project by a very funny team that includes King Of The Hill co-creators Greg Daniels and Mike Judge as well as Michael Koman (Nathan For You, How To With John Wilson).
In a January interview with The Hollywood Reporter about their new animation company Bandera Entertainment, Daniels and Judge teased Chelm as “A very funny children’s show.” Warner Bros. Discovery has now released new details, describing the project as a “family-oriented animated special” set in the “Town of Fools,” a mythical city from Jewish folklore.
Originally told in Yiddish, this fresh take on the old tales “shares the absurdist humor and interpretive questioning that is a nod to Jewish intellectual traditions.” Per WB’s press release, “the special will present a fresh take on the silly antics and exaggerated conflicts of the town, while also preserving the essence and heart of the classic folktales.”
Amy Friedman, WB’s head of kids & family programming, said in a statement: “This pitch was so hilarious; we just knew the HBO Max audience needed to get a dose of this original brand of storytelling. Chelm: The Smartest Place On Earth is a perfect pairing of comedy and satire, and no one does that combination better than Sacha, Greg, Mike, and Michael.”
She added, “This unique project will breathe new, hysterical life into the nonsensical Chelmic wisdom that originated from this imaginary city of folks who aren’t quite the sharpest tools in the shed.”
Baron Cohen will narrate the special as well as produce and develop the story alongside Daniels, Judge, and Koman—who is attached to write. Bandera Entertainment president Dustin Davis is also attached as an executive producer. The special does not yet have a release date, but we’re definitely looking forward to what this team creates.
