We hadn’t heard anything about the Kanye West HBO show in a while and, after the announcement of Alligator Boots, the potentially terrible and/or phenomenal Kanye West puppet show, we sort of assumed the project had been abandoned. Not so! Director Larry Charles tells ComingSoon that a pilot has already been shot. It’s still a Curb Your Enthusiasm–style improvised show, with Kanye — the self-appointed “black Larry David†— playing himself. The show’s got an IMDb page, with a cast of no-names playing characters like Mix Tape Guy, Opportunistic Girl, Pea Pod Lady, and Pirate.
As for whether or not it ever airs, Charles says, “I think it was too hardcore for HBO. Also, HBO’s management shifted, but HBO doesn’t have a good track record when it comes to black shows and I felt like that may have had something to do with it also…it seems to be on the shelf right now.†Charles expresses hope that recently appointed HBO-series exec Sue Naegle may give it a second chance. To which we say: Pull the trigger, Sue.
Or, you know, we can just wait for Kanye to put the canned pilot up on his blog. You know he will.
Exclusive: Larry Charles on Kanye and The Crue [ComingSoon]