Rainn Wilson of The Office fame is enlisting comedy talent from Vine for his next TV project. Called Hollywood and Vine, the show will follow five of Vine's most popular video makers — Lele Pons, Jerry Purpdrank, Simone Shepherd, Curtis Lepore, and Christian DelGrosso — as they try to break into Hollywood.
According to Deadline, Wilson's scripted comedy will hew close to reality, depicting the five stars as they try to turn their online fame into fame in mainstream media. All five performers make frequent use of Vine for short-form comedy videos, and, since they collectively boast more than 30 million followers, have earned the attention of brands like Badoo and Swiffer. They also frequently collaborate with each other and even with minor Hollywood personalities.
This wouldn't be the first time a Vine star made their way onto television. Andrew Bachelor, popularly known as King Bach, earned a recurring role on Showtime's House of Lies in 2012 on the strength of his Vines, and recently became a series regular on Adult Swim's Black Jesus. However, this new kind of fame hasn't come without scandal. Lepore was embroiled in a rape case earlier this year, and though he took a plea deal to have the charges