Nebraska screenwriter Bob Nelson has just struck a deal with Amazon, landing his first official pilot order. The half-hour coming-of-age comedy Highston was written by Nelson and will be directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine) and exec produced by Sacha Baron Cohen.
According to Deadline, Highston will be a single-camera project following the life of 19-year-old Highston Liggetts who, rather than living in the unfamiliar world he’s facing, chooses to retreat into his own imagination where his companions are his famous “friends.”
Nelson is most well known for scripting the 2013 indie roadtrip comedy Nebraska, starring Bruce Dern and Will Forte and directed by Alexander Payne. He is currently in post production on his follow-up film The Confirmation (of which he wrote and directed) — a 90-minute comedy starring Clive Own, Maria Bellow and Patton Oswalt.
Cohen is currently shooting his latest film Grimsby about a top spy whose next assignment provokes his teaming up with his football hooligan brother. Cohen wrote the script and is producing and starring in the comedy, set for a February 2016 release.
Faris and Dayton most recently directed the underrated 2012 indie drama Ruby Sparks. It looks like they’ll be busy for the foreseeable future directing not only Highston but also the story of Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers) I’m Proud of You.
Highston continues Amazon’s push in the comedy arena. Following the success of their first original series Alpha House and the more recent critically-acclaimed Transparent, the network has a packed slate of comedy pilots including Mad Dogs, Cocked and Salem Rogers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&list=PL18yMRIfoszFLSgML6ddazw180SXMvMz5&v=pnc360pUDRI
Originally published April 23, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
