The powers of the name. Powers of Chad. And he will return (return) to a screen near you.
Hulu has ordered Eli Manning’s character “Chad Powers” to become his own comedy series, according to a press release from the company. Manning created and transformed into Powers for an episode of his docuseries “Eli’s Places” after Manning’s curiosity about the college football participation process led him to try out at Penn State under the pseudonym and disguise. With the help of a special effects artist and a Matthew McConaughey lookalike, Manning successfully attempted to be a Nittany Lion. He almost made it too, as Penn State assistants took a natural liking to the two-time Super Bowl champion before head coach James Franklin, the only person who apparently knew Manning’s true identity, exposed Powers. at the end of the tests.
The episode aired on ESPN in September 2022. It was produced by Peyton Manning’s media company, Omaha Productions.
“The love for Chad Powers has surprised me in a spectacular way,” Manning said in a statement. “I played 16 years in the NFL, but now, when I’m in a restaurant or walking through an airport, it’s not uncommon for fans to yell, ‘Hey, Chad!’”
The new series will be co-written and created by Glen Powell, the actor who played Jake “Hangman” Seresin in the box office hit “Top Gun: Maverick,” and writer and producer Michael Waldron, known for “Loki” and “Rick and “Morty.” Both will serve as executive producers alongside Peyton Manning, Jamie Horowitz and Ben Brown of ESPN and Omaha Productions.
“I hope Glen is working on his QB skills, I saw him throw a football at Maverick…he’s got work to do!!” Manning said informerly known as Twitter, on Thursday.
In the new Hulu series, bad behavior disrupts standout QB Russ Holliday’s college career, causing him to go undercover and join a struggling Southern football team as the charming Chad Powers.
“We are both die-hard college football fans,” Powell and Waldron said in the statement. “When we saw Eli as Chad Powers, we knew that was the path to a big, fun story about this world. We are excited to be a part of this team and can’t wait for Chad to get in the game. He thinks fast, he runs fast.”
Get ready to think fast, run fast, @glenpowell. pic.twitter.com/nLNf5COZ3E
– Omaha Productions (@OmahaProd) February 22, 2024
It is yet another media adventure for the Manning brothers. Ahead of the 2023 season, both Peyton and Eli Manning announced their alternative broadcast of “Monday Night Football” on ESPN2 in association with Omaha Productions.
The release date for the Hulu series has yet to be announced, so get ready to think fast and run faster to a screen near you.
(Photo: Amir Hamja/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
