Chris Rock Lands $40 Million For First Comedy Specials In 8 Years
After an eight year absence from doing stand up performances, Chris Rock is marking his return with two brand new comedy specials that will premiere on Netflix. But he's also making some history with the deal, with Netflix giving him $40 million for the two specials, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The first show will be taped some time in 2017, following a new world tour that's currently in the works. However, it's unknown when either special will exactly drop.
"Chris Rock is a beloved actor and director, and his remarkable stand up makes him comic royalty. There is no one like him, and Netflix offers the global platform and creative freedom that will serve as a perfect home for someone with his incredible talent," Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer, said.
Lisa Nishimura, VP of Original Documentary and Comedy at Netflix added: "Increasingly, Netflix is becoming the preeminent destination for stand up comedy, partnering with top tier talent across a wide variety of styles and humor, enabling them to bring their fresh, distinctive and hilarious voices to our members in 190 countries around the world. Our members discover every day that we truly offer something for every comedy fan, and the comedians we partner with understand the power of having a direct line to our ever growing global audience. Coming on the heels of our first Emmy win in the category ("Patton Oswalt: Talking for Clapping"), now is the perfect time to take things to the next level with Chris Rock."
Unless you were lucky enough to witness Rock perform stand up alongside John Mayer, Aziz Ansari and Dave Chappelle after the Roots Picnic in NY this year, the closest thing many of us have gotten to a new stand up from him, was when he hosted the 88th Annual Academy Awards.
So, it's nice to hear that not only will Rock have these forthcoming specials aired, but that he'll be going on a new world tour (which hopefully means we'll have a ticket announcement in the foreseeable future).
