Donald Glover’s new Prime Video show is a Beyoncé-inspired dark comedy-thriller
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The first teaser for Donald Glover’s new project has appeared online – and it’s teeming with horror and thriller-themed images.
Swarm, which launches exclusively on Prime Video on Friday, March 17, is the first of several Glover-made productions that will be released exclusively on Amazon’s streaming platform. And we don’t know about you, but Swarm‘s fascinating and ominous teaser has us buzzing with anticipation before it arrives.
Check out the official Swarm teaser below:
Swarm stars Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah) as Dre, a young woman who becomes increasingly obsessed with a fictional pop star. Fishback is joined by Chloe Bailey (Adult) as Dre’s sister Marisa and Damson Idris (Snowfall) as Dre’s charismatic yet-named friend.
According to Vanity purse (opens in new tab)Swarm’s made-up singer-songwriter is inspired by none other than Beyoncé, with whom Glover co-starred in Disney’s live-action The lionking redo. The duo voiced adult Simba and Nala in the 2019 CGI film. Nabers has described the series as an “anti-hero story”, albeit trained through the lens of a young black woman, even though Dre has been influenced by white fictional men, including The sopranosTony Soprano and Crazy menfrom Don Draper.
Not surprising, Swarm will explore themes around fandoms and the dark desires that come from celebrity addiction. Glover’s new show won’t be a completely horror-drenched affair, though. Swarm is expected to carry the multi-talented creator’s signature dark comedy styles, as well as his keen observations on celebrity, parasocial relationships and the wider entertainment industry. Nabers even says Swarm is related to a sister series Atlanta, Glover’s genre-bending FX TV show. With so much buzz, you can expect it to make it onto our list of the best Prime Video shows soon.
Glover, who co-created Swarm with Janine Nabers (Atlanta), co-wrote and directed the series’ opening episode. Currently, it’s unclear who has joined Glover in the director’s chair. Meanwhile, Nabers and Glover have been joined in the writer’s room by his brother Stephen Glover (Atlanta), Ibra Ake (director of Beyonce’s Black is king album), and Malia, the daughter of Barack and Michelle Obama (her first role as a screenwriter).
Glover will be an *ahem* busy bee for years to come. He struck an overall deal with Amazon Studios to create content for one of the world’s top streaming services in February 2022. Another one of his upcoming shows – an adaptation of Mr. and Mrs. Smith – is still in development for Prime Video, despite Phoebe Waller-Bridge, his former co-lead and creator of popular shows including Flea bagwill leave the project in September 2021. Maya Erskine (PEN15) replaced Waller-Bridge in April 2022.
For more Prime Video coverage, check out our best Prime Video movies hub. Plus, read everything worth knowing about Season 2 of Invincible and Season 2 of The Rings of Power.