‘Comrade Detective’ is set to premiere Aug. 4.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Amazon Board Channing Tatum’s Romanian Cop-Show Spoof

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum are joining forces.

The Dark Knight Rises star has boarded Tatum’s Romanian cop-show spoof Comrade Detective, which has landed at Amazon for an Aug. 4 premiere.

Formerly titled Iron Fisting, Comrade Detective is described as follows: “In the thick of 1980’s Cold War hysteria, the Romanian government created the country’s most popular and longest-running series, Comrade Detective, a sleek and gritty police show that not only entertained its citizens but also promoted Communist ideals and inspired a deep nationalism. The action-packed and blood-soaked first season finds Detectives Gregor Anghel and Iosef Baciu investigating the murder of fellow officer Nikita Ionesco and, in the process, unraveling a subversive plot to destroy their country that is fueled by — what else — the greatest enemy: capitalism.”

According to the series description, the show “was sadly forgotten about after the fall of the Berlin Wall” but has now been rediscovered and remastered with the help of Tatum and Gordon-Levitt. Comrade Detective is further described as “a true portal into a time and place and a powerful reminder of what art can be — and it is now ready to be seen by the modern world on a larger scale than ever before.”

Subsequently, the cop spoof will be presented in Romanian with Romanian actors Florin Piersic Jr. and Corneliu Ulici in the lead roles — and dubbed in English as a Romanian show of that time would have been. The actors will be dubbed over with the voices of Tatum and Gordon-Levitt as the lead characters.

The vocal cast will also include Jenny Slate, Chloe Sevigny, Jake Johnson, Jason Mantzoukas, Nick Offerman, Fred Armisen, Oscar-winner Kim Basinger, recent Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali, Tracy Letts, Emmy-winner Bobby Cannavale, Richard Jenkins, Debra Winger, Mark Duplass, Katie Aselton Duplass, Jerrod Carmichael, Bo Burnham and John Early.

Tatum is also on board as an exec producer, along with creators Brian Gatewood and Alex Tanaka (both from The Sitter), director Rhys Thomas (Documentary Now!), Reid Carolin (Logan Lucky), Peter Kiernan (Mad Love), Andrew Schneider, Ravi Nandan (The Carmichael Show) and John Hodges (Safety Not Guaranteed). Amazon Studios and A24 will co-produce the half-hour series in association with Tatum’s Free Association shingle.

The series will launch Aug. 4 on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Comrade Detective comes as Amazon pushes further into scripted originals. The company’s other original comedies include critical darling Transparent, Mozart in the Jungle, Red Oaks, One Mississippi and I Love Dick, in addition to acquisitions such as Catastrophe and Fleabag. Amazon’s upcoming comedy series include The Tick,Jean-Claude Van Johnson and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, from Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino.

“In a world of global television, it was inevitable that the best comedy of the year would come from Romania. Well, that day has come,” said Joe Lewis, Amazon Studios’ head of comedy, drama and virtual reality. “Comrade Detective is unbelievably compelling, visually brilliant, and Gregor and Iosef are the heroes we need. Thanks to A24, Channing Tatum, Rhys Thomas, Brian Gatewood, Alex Tanaka, as well as the incredibly creative team behind this wild new series.”

Comrade Detective is A24’s third TV series, joining Playing House and The Carmichael Show. Said A24, “As passionate fans of cinema and television, we have long heard about this genre-defining show and are thrilled to work with Free Association and Amazon to bring it to audiences.”

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