Deadline.com about ‘Comrade Detective’: Amazon Sets Premiere For Romanian Comedy Cop Spoof ‘Comrade Detective’

Amazon has set a premiere date for Comrade Detective, a 1980s-set Romanian cop comedy spoof series, with Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt leading a stellar voiceover cast.

A co-production between Amazon Studios and A24, Comrade Detective will premiere August 4 on Prime in the U.S. UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. A24 announced last year it was producing and fully financing the series, initially titled Iron Fisting.

Created by The Sitter screenwriters Brian Gatewood and Alex Tanaka, Comrade Detective is described as a one-of-a-kind cop show and comedy set in 1980’s Romania. True to its nostalgic inspiration, the series is presented in Romanian and dubbed in English —as a Romanian show of that time would have been. Tatum and Gordon-Levitt provide voiceover dubbing for the series’ two leading roles, Detectives Gregor Anghel and Iosef Baciu—both played on screen by Romanian actors, Florin Piersic Jr. (Killing Time) and Corneliu Ulici (The Devil Inside).
Remaining roles will be dubbed by Jenny Slate, Chloë Sevigny, Jake Johnson, Jason Mantzoukas, Nick Offerman, Fred Armisen, Kim Basinger, Mahershala Ali, Tracey Letts, Bobby Cannavale, Richard Jenkins, Debra Winger, Mark Duplass, Katie Aselton Duplass, Jerrod Carmichael, Bo Burnham and John Early.

Gatewood and Tanaka also executive produce with Rhys Thomas, who directs. Tatum also executive produces via his Free Association, with Reid Carolin (Logan Lucky), Peter Kiernan (Mad Love) and Andrew Schneider are executive producers along with A24’s Ravi Nandan (The Carmichael Show) and John Hodges (Safety Not Guaranteed).

Below is Amazon’s description of Comrade Detective:

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 (played by Piersic) and Iosef Baciu (played by Ulici) 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—but the greatest enemy: Capitalism. Though the beloved show was sadly forgotten about after the fall of the Berlin Wall, it has been rediscovered and digitally remastered now with its main heroes voiced by Tatum and Gordon-Levitt. Comrade Detective is 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.

“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, Head of Comedy, Drama and VR at Amazon Studios. “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.”

“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,” said A24.

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