‘Super Pumped’: Joseph Gordon-Levitt To Play Former Uber CEO In Showtime Anthology Series From ‘Billions’ Creators
When you see the wordsJoseph Gordon-LevittandSuper Pumpedin the same headline, it might be reasonable to assume theInceptionactor is making a sequel to his 2013 movieDon Jon, which saw him star as a muscle-bound lughead who is struggling with a porn addiction. But I regret to inform theDon Jonstans out there that you’ll just have to keep waiting, becauseSuper Pumpedis not, in fact, a sequel to that movie.
Instead, it’s a new anthology series fromBillionsco-creatorsBrian KoppelmanandDavid Levienthat’s set to air on Showtime, with each season exploring “a story that rocked the business world to its core and changed culture.” First up: the story of Uber, with Gordon-Levitt set to star as former CEO Travis Kalanick, who was kicked out of the company in a boardroom coup.
JGL has his own AppleTV+ streaming series coming soon calledMr. Corman, and now the actor has locked down another lead role on a different TV series. He’s set to star in the first season ofSuper Pumped, which is based on Mike Isaac’s best-selling bookSuper Pumped: The Battle for Uberand “tells the story of one of Silicon Valley’s most successful and most destructive unicorns, Uber.Pivoting on Kalanick, the Showtime series will depict the roller-coaster ride of the upstart transportation company, embodying the highs and lows of Silicon Valley. Even amid the radical upheaval generated within the global tech capital, Uber stands out as both a marvel and a cautionary tale, featuring internal and external battles that ripple with unpredictable consequences.” Personally, I find it slightly weird that every season of this show will retain theSuper Pumpedname when Isaac’s book only focuses on the Uber story, but what do I know?
Koppelman and Levien, who co-createdBillionsand a fun, under-seen sports series calledTiltand co-wrote movies likeRounders,Runaway Jury, the remake ofWalking Tall, andOcean’s Thirteen, are serving as writers, executive producers, and showrunners withBeth Schacter, who has credits onBillions,Soundtrack,Quantico,Bunheads, and more.
After a hot run in the early 2010s, Gordon-Levitt has cooled off considerably. This seems like the type of role that may appear to be one-dimensional at a glance, but will hopefully be a more complex, well-rounded character than it appears. Personally, I’m excited to see Gordon-Levitt step back into the spotlight after a few years of quiet work, and with this creative team behind the scripts, this might end up being something special.
