Fans of HBO’s episodic wish-fulfilment for blokes – Entourage – have been repeating the same two questions since it concluded back in 2011: “When can we expect more Entourage episodes? Not another movie, though…” and “When are we getting an Entourage spin-off about Ari Gold?” While nothing has been confirmed at this stage, it’s comforting to know cast members like Rex Lee – who famously portrayed Ari’s personal assistant/punching bag, Lloyd – has a few ideas about how they could viably pull it off. Ideas we wouldn’t mind watching.
Appearing on Jeremy Piven’s new podcast How U Livin’ J Piven, Lee recounted the time he approached former President of HBO Entertainment, Sue Naegle, and pitched the concept plastered out of his mind.
“Once upon a time, I was at an HBO party and I was drunk off my ass,” Rex Lee tells Piven.
“And this was when Sue Naegle was in charge at HBO… I’m like, ‘Sue, this is what you do. You make it like the Love Boat, and every week there are all these guest stars and they have their story.'”
“It’s called Agency, we’re the agents. In this episode, Donald Glover has some sort of issue that Ari has to deal with. But it gets resolved at the end of the episode, or after two episodes. And then the next episode it’s, you know, Charlize Theron who has a problem.”
“Instead of having a lead ficitonal star that is the throughline,” says Piven, nodding along.
“Well that’s been done. We did that. That’s Entourage,” says Lee.
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This wouldn’t be the first hint of a potential Entourage spin-off. Last year, Jeremy Piven cruelly dangled the Ari Gold carrot in front of us by suggesting the possibility of a series featuring everyone’s favourite Hollywood super-agent turned studio head.
“Yes, I’ve been asked about doing a spin-off for Ari Gold,” Piven told Barstool Sports.
“And I want to put it out there to the people: Is that something you guys might be interested in? I just want to know… we will figure out a hashtag.”
Piven added in the event something like this would come into fruition, Rex Lee’s Lloyd would obviously be attached. Because what is Ari without the yin to his yang?
Elsewhere, Entourage creator Doug Ellin and writer + producer Rob Weiss have been occupying themselves with their own non-spin-off ventures (at least not in the strict sense). In addition to his own ongoing podcast, the former has teamed up with Kingman director/franchise producer Matthew Vaughn and international superstar Thierry Henry, trading Hollywood A-listers for the fast-paced world of Premier League footballers. The latter, on the other hand, is busy churning out a scripted comedy series about the world of cryptocurrency, that’s also the first show ever to be completely financed by crypto.
With an initial 10-episode order to start, Ellin’s Day 1s will follow a young up-and-coming player by the name of Dezmond King who must “navigate his growing stature and struggles” accompanied by his crew of boys. Ellin will serve as co-showrunner with Chris Case (Mad About You). In addition to lending the services of his UK production company Marv, Vaughn is slated to direct the pilot as well as co-produce alongside Henry, Henry’s longtime agent Darren Dein, and BAFTA-nominee Liza Marshall’s Hera Pictures.
RELATED: ‘Entourage’ Writer Rob Weiss Is Developing A Comedy Series About Crypto
“I love writing about friends who are family and this show gives us a great new platform to do that,” says Doug Ellin.
“Chris and I are going deep inside the life of an elite athlete to explore the world of Premier League football – a world we find more exciting, interesting, and even crazy, by the day.”
Weiss’ Hold on for Dear Life (HODL) will also kick things off with 10 episodes to start, centring on a young tech founder named Mel as she launches a token named after her best friend Aveer (who has disappeared for some reason). Mel and a squad of misfits — “Elvis the crypto-anarchist, Bear the Lambo-bro, DiNo the digital nomad, Liberty the opensource purist, and Satoshi” — give their all in pursuit of Mel’s vision for the Aveer token. To do so, they must “overcome enemies, centralised powers, and FUD (Fear Uncertainty Doubt).”
“When I read the Hold On for Dear Life pilot, I felt as if I had been transported into a fresh and unique universe where characters spoke about money in a whole new language,” says Rob Weiss, who has also signed on to direct multiple episodes on top of producing.
“The world of currency is rapidly changing, and Hold On for Dear Life will both illuminate and entertain at the same time.”
Both Day 1s and Hold On For Dear Life (HODL) have yet to announce official release dates. Fingers crossed some network executive hears Rex Lee out about his Entourage spin-off pitch.
