Deadline has announced that a Buster Keaton series is on the way from Warner Bros. Television, and it’s already found its lead. Rami Malek (Mr. Robot, Bohemian Rhapsody) is set to star as the titular silent comedy movie star. The limited series is currently aiming to pull material from Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker’s Life by James Curtis, with negotiations currently underway.
Keaton’s career began as a vaudeville performer with his parents until he eventually headed to the screen. He would go on to star in numerous short and feature-length films in the late 1910s, including The Butcher Boy, The Rough House, The Playhouse Cops, and Sherlock Jr., among others. He became best known, however, for The General, in which he plays a civilian attempting to regain control of a train. It was based off a true event during the Civil War.
The series hails from Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho Productions, with Malek and David Weddle producing, and Reeves set to helm. Ted Cohen is expected to write and executive produce. Daniel Pipski and Rafi Crohn executive produce for 6th & Idaho.
