Amazon Moves Forward on ‘I Love Dick,’ ‘The Tick’ and ‘Jean-Claude Van Johnson’

I Love Dick stars Kevin Bacon and Kathryn Hahn
Kevin Bacon and Kathryn Hahn in ‘I Love Dick’ (Photo Credit: Amazon)

Amazon Studios has greenlit three new original series that will premiere in 2017. I Love Dick starring Kathryn Hahn, Griffin Dunne, and Kevin Bacon is a half-hour series based on Chris Kraus’ bestselling novel. Jean-Claude Van Johnson has Jean-Claude Van Damme playing an undercover private contractor. The third series, The Tick, is based on the popular comic. All three series will be available on Amazon Prime next year.

“These pilots were vast in scope, disruptive in tone, challenging in story and sometimes even funny,” stated Joe Lewis, Head of Half-Hour Series, Amazon Studios. “It’s rewarding to see customers embrace them in such a huge way. We can’t wait to premiere these series next year on Prime Video.”

I Love Dick Details: Adapted from the cult classic, I Love Dick — referred to as “the most important book about men and women written in the last century” (Emily Gould, The Guardian) — is set in a colorful intellectual community in Marfa, Texas. Chris (Kathryn Hahn) and Sylvere (Griffin Dunne) arrive in Marfa when Sylvere is offered a fellowship to finish a book he’s been writing on the Holocaust. When they meet Dick (Kevin Bacon), he taunts their imaginations and upends their preconceptions about love and monogamy. An exploration of the female gaze and how we tell stories about love and desire, I Love Dick charts the evolution of a marriage, the awakening of an artist and the deification of a writer named Dick. I Love Dick is executive produced by Jill Soloway, Andrea Sperling, and Sarah Gubbins. The pilot was directed by Soloway and written by Gubbins.

Jean-Claude Van Johnson Details: If you need to eliminate a political rival, debilitate a multinational corporation, or overthrow an entire government—and you need it done with the utmost secrecy—there’s only one person to turn to: one of the most internationally recognizable movie stars in the history of film. Jean-Claude Van Johnson stars Jean-Claude Van Damme (JCVD) playing “Jean-Claude Van Johnson,” a global martial arts and film sensation…and, operating under the simple alias of “Johnson,” the most dangerous undercover private contractor in the world. Lucky for the world’s bad guys, he’s been retired for years…unlucky for them, a chance encounter with a lost love is about to bring him back to the game…and this time, he’ll be deadlier than ever. Probably.

The pilot for Jean-Claude Van Johnson starred Van Damme along with Kat Foster, Moises Arias, and Phylicia Rashad. The show is executive produced by Peter Atencio, Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, and Van Damme. From Scott Free Productions, the pilot was directed by Atencio, and written and created by Dave Callaham.

The Tick Details: In a world where superheroes have been real for decades, an underdog accountant with zero powers comes to realize his city is owned by a global super villain long-thought dead. As he struggles to uncover this conspiracy, he falls in league with a strange blue superhero. The pilot for The Tick starred Peter Serafinowicz, Griffin Newman, Jackie Earle Haley, Valorie Curry, Yara Martinez, and Brendan Hines. The Tick is executive produced by Ben Edlund, Barry Josephson, and Barry Sonnenfeld , directed by Wally Pfister, and written by Edlund.