Just when you thought his resume couldn’t get more interesting, Simpsons legend Hank Azaria becomes the latest actor to join the first season of Showtime’s upcoming anthology series, Super Pumped. Azaria is set to take on the role of Apple CEO Tim Cook, of all people.
Yes, you heard that right. Think different, indeed.
The Brockmire star joins an impressive cast, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Uber’s former CEO Travis Kalanick, Kyle Chandler as Texas venture capitalist and Uber angel investor Bill Gurley, and Kerry Bishé as Austin Geidt aka Uber’s fourth-ever employee.
What is Super Pumped About?
The new series will explore the tumultuous journey that is creating a business from the ground up in Silicon Valley, and how that world can be a breeding ground for bad practices and even worse consequences. The show will be an anthology, and for its first season, Super Pumped’s story will be based on New York Times journalist Mike Isaac’s book, Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber. The nonfiction page-turner — like the first season of the series — centers on the development and growth of Uber, one of the most successful transportation startups ever.
Here’s the official synopsis for season 1 of Super Pumped:
SUPER PUMPED tells the story of one of Silicon Valley’s most successful and most destructive unicorns, Uber. Pivoting on Kalanick and his sometimes tumultuous relationship with his mentor Gurley, the SHOWTIME series will depict the roller-coaster ride of the upstart transportation company, embodying the highs and lows of Silicon Valley. Even amid the radical upheaval generated within the global tech capital, Uber stands out as both a marvel and a cautionary tale, featuring internal and external battles that ripple with unpredictable consequences.
It remains to be seen which business world stories will come next, but considering Azaria’s casting, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a season of television about the former COO’s rise to tech stardom following Steve Jobs’ death. Either way, his casting should put this show on your “most anticipated” list, if only for the fact that he’s certainly not the first person you would think of to play Cook. In fact, that makes his addition to the roster all the more exciting. He’s no stranger to a character role — and Apple employees are the definition of characters — so all signs point to Azaria killing this part and capturing Cook’s essence in his own way.
Who is the creative team on Super Pumped?
The series was created, written, and executive produced by Billions co-creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien. They share writing, showrunning, and EP duties with Quantico writer Beth Schacter. Paul Schiff, Allyce Ozarski, and Stephen Schiff will also executive produce alongside Isaac.
So far, there is no scheduled premiere date for Super Pumped, but we’ll be keeping watch (on our phones in between Ubers, of course).
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