In the age of Peak TV, there are a lot of new projects that slip under the raydar or seem like another remake, retread, or revamp of what we’ve already seen. But the upside, is you get something likeOn Becoming a God in Central Florida. Which is the crazy ass title of a new series in development at AMC set to starKirsten Dunst, who is coming off her career-best work inFargo.DogtoothandThe LobsterhelmerYorgos Lanthimosis on board to direct so you know it’s going to be something usual and most likely, a bit unsettling.
Set in the 90s, the show will star Dunst as a woman on a quest to con her way to the top in pursuit of the American Dream. The series comes fromGeorge ClooneyandGrant Heslov’s Smokehouse Pictures, Sony’s TriStar Television and AMC Studios.
PerDeadline, here’s the synopsis ofOn Becoming a God in Central FloridaWritten by Robert Funke and Matt Lutsky based on a spec script they wrote.
On Becoming A Godis a darkly comedic story about the cult of free enterprise and one woman’s relentless pursuit of the American Dream in the early ’90s. Recently widowed and left with nothing, minimum-wage Orlando water park employee Krystal Gill (Dunst) lies, schemes and cons her way up the ranks of Founders American Merchandise — the cultish, flag-waving, multibillion-dollar pyramid scheme that drove her to ruin in the first place.
From AMC’s end, the cable network is in need of a new hit series following the end ofBreaking BadandMad Men.The Walking Deadcontinues to soar andBetter Call Saulhas established itself as the rare spinoff-worthy of its predecessor, but AMC has struggled in recent years to launch a breakout original series on the level of those that made it a driving force in cable programming despite the critical acclaim of programs likeHumansandHalt and Catch Fire.
Dunst is riding a wave of a career resurgence at the moment. In 2015, she earned Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her fantastic turn in Season 2 ofNoah Hawley’s FX seriesFargoand last year, she had a key role inJeff Nichols' slept-on sci-fi thrillerMidnight Special. She can currently be seen in the awards-contenderHidden Figuresand recently reteamed withSophia Coppolafor a remake ofThe BeguiledalongsideColin Farrell,Elle Fanning, andNicole Kidman.
Likewise, Lanthimos is in the midst of a career high after his English-language debut The Lobster, which is racking up award nominations and wins.On Becoming a God in Central Floridawill be his first major TV project.
