When comedian and actor Kevin Hart appeared on The Tonight Show after Super Bowl XLIX, he enthusiastically lip-synced to Katy Perry's hit "Roar." Today, he and Lionsgate are roaring together as they announce Laugh Out Loud, a new Video-On-Demand service.
Laugh Out Loud will begin mostly with exclusive content from Hart and his production company Hartbeat Digital. First up will be an unscripted series featuring Hart as an undercover Lyft driver. Comedian Logan Paul, one of the biggest names on Vine, will also be getting his own series, though details have not yet been released.
Crucially absent will be any of Hart's record-setting stand-up specials like Laugh at My Pain and Let Me Explain. There also won't be any of his successful films like The Wedding Ringer or Top Five. The absence of these mark a major setback for the new service, though as with any new venture it will take time to build up a solid library.
The deal also includes development of a video game created by and starring Hart, who will have a big summer with a stand-up film (Now What?) and a team-up with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in New Line Cinema's Central Intelligence.
About Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about.
I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague.
Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work.
In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo.
I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.
