Bumper Becomes TikTok Famous In The Pitch Perfect Series Trailer
Because of course he does.
Listen up, Pitches! It may have been four years since the last Pitch Perfect film hit the big screen, but it’s time to start warming up those vocal cords because the a cappella competitions are back on. The film franchise, which Comcast’s NBC Universal owns, is being spun off into a TV series for the company’s streaming service, Peacock. But there’s a twist. (Because when isn’t there a twist?) The updates about Peacock’s Pitch Perfect reveal the main cast will feature someone fans of the Bellas def weren’t expecting.
The initial Pitch Perfect film, which debuted a decade ago in 2012, was based on the Mickey Rapkin book of the same name. The film starred Anna Kendrick as the rebellious freshman Beca Mitchell, who joins the struggling a capella group The Bellas at her new school, Barden University. Although two sequels followed, they were spaced far enough apart that the trilogy wasn’t a four-year college story. Instead, Pitch Perfect 2 was set toward the end of the Bellas’ college careers, and Pitch Perfect 3, which landed in 2017, closed the story out with a post-graduation USO tour.
So, what could a Pitch Perfect TV series focus on? Strangely, it’s not coming full circle back to one of the original Bellas. Instead, the new series will pick up with a character who fans haven’t seen since the second movie: Bumper Allen.
Here’s everything to know about the new series:
Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin Trailer
The first trailer for Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin arrived on Nov. 2, 2022. In it, the series finally revealed how Bumper got famous in the first place — he accidentally goes viral on TikTok. One small catch: Those viral views are all in Germany. But for Bumper, who is working as a security guard with no career plans, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime, especially when Piëter Krämer promises to make him a star.
Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin First Photo
The Pitch Perfect series isn’t a story about the Bellas. Instead, the series will revolve around Bumper Allen (Adam Devine), the head of the Bellas’ rival singing group, The Treblemakers. Allen was the main antagonist in the initial Pitch Perfect film and appeared in the second one, though in a more supporting role. Because the third film was set post-college, with the Bellas on tour competing against all-new rivals, he wasn’t in the final movie.
The first photos of Devine as Bumper arrived on July 29 as part of Peacock’s release date announcements. As the above image confirms, Devine isn’t the only original cast member to be listed as part of the new series. Flula Borg, who played Piëter Krämer, will also reprise his role. But these two are going to be surrounded by some prominent names.
Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin Cast
On March 4, 2022, Deadline revealed Sarah Hyland (Modern Family, pictured), along with Jameela Jamil (The Good Place) and Lera Abova (Anna), had all snagged lead roles in the new series.
According to the article, Hyland will take on the role of Heidi, “Piëter and Bumper’s cheery and slightly odd American assistant.” Abova has been cast as Piëter’s sister, who happens to be a DJ and music producer. As for Jamil, she’s playing the antagonist, Gisela, a German pop star who also happens to be Piëter’s ex-girlfriend and Bumper’s main rival.
Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin Filming Updates
Peacock announced the new Pitch Perfect had been picked up as a straight-to-order series on Sept. 21, 2021. “Straight-to-order” in the TV world means the show is being greenlit for the entire season sight unseen; no pilot episode will be made as proof of concept first. That’s because the series comes from the same team that made the films, with Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman as executive producers, so their track record of success speaks for itself.
Filming for the new series began on March 5, 2022, after announcing the lead roles. Producer Max Handelman posted a photo from Berlin to his Instagram of the clapper board, with the caption “Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin. Back in the Saddle.”
Principle photography wrapped three months later on May 15. As Devine noted, after filming the series, “Berlin techno now makes sense.”
Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin Plot
Speaking of Berlin, that’s the other big surprise. The Pitch Perfect TV series won’t return to Barden University or a new generation of Bellas, typical of these TV revivals. (Think the new Saved by the Bell, in which the old characters are now teaching a new group of students, or Gossip Girl, in which a new generation of students are contending with the return of a mystery character spilling all-new secrets.)
According to the synopsis, the series will pick up “Several years after we last saw him in Pitch Perfect, Adam Devine’s Bumper Allen moves to Germany to revive his music career when one of his songs becomes big in Berlin.”
Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin Release Date
The Pitch Perfect TV series Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin will debut on Peacock on Nov. 23, 2022, and run for six half-hour episodes.
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