Short-Form Kevin Hart Series Shoots in Atlanta

When a new show starring Kevin Hart is titled Die Hart, you might reasonably assume it’s going to be some sort of a comedic spoof of action movies. And you’d be in the ballpark. In the silly upcoming series for innovative new streaming service Quibi, which begins production in Atlanta on Monday, Feb. 10, Hart will star as a fictionalized version of himself who’s tired of being typecast as the comedic sidekick in action movies. A famous director offers him a lead role as an action star, but only if he trains at an “action star school” run by a nutcase (played by John Travolta) who pushes his students through a series of over-the-top action sequences. If you’ve seen the 13-minute opening sequence of Hart’s 2016 concert film Kevin Hart: What Now? created by Tim Story, Hart and his Die Hart co-executive producer Jeff Clanagan (president of Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network YouTube channel), you probably have an idea of the direction of this new series, as it was its inspiration. Originally titled Action Scene, the rather flimsy concept of Die Hart is actually ideal for Quibi’s lineup, as the streaming service (set to launch April 6) is only carrying short-form episodic content of ten minutes each or less, made specifically to be viewed on mobile devices. Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones) also stars in the series, to be directed by Eric Appel (episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Silicon Valley).