Chance the Rapper will host a reboot of the celebrity prank show Punk’d. The Chicago MC has partnered with MTV Studios to terrorize the rich and famous on the forthcoming streaming series Quibi (via EW).
Punk’d premiered on MTV in 2003, hosted by co-creator Ashton Kutcher. The hidden-camera series combined frat house humor with a cable TV effects budget, and that recipe kept the show running until it finally shuttered in 2007. In the years since, Punk’d has received two brief resurrections, first in 2012, and again in 2017 on BET. The prank segments became an uneasy fit for the rigid time slots of cable, but it ought to be right at home on Quibi, which is short for “quick bites”, and is aimed at mobile streaming.
In a statement accompanying the announcement, Chance the Rapper said, “Punk’d is one of MTV’s most iconic franchises. I grew up watching this show and it’s surreal to be in the driver’s seat this time around on Quibi.”
Today, Quibi released an official teaser trailer for Punk’d full of explosions, crushed cars, and a gorilla terrorizing Megan Thee Stallion. Check out the teaser below.
Quibi comes from producer Jeffrey Katzenburg, and will launch on April 6th, 2020. Some of the announced projects include Spielberg After Dark, Varsity Blues, an update of the The Fugitive starring Kiefer Sutherland, Sam Raimi’s 50 States of Fright, an adventure reality series Killing Zac Efron, and reboots of Reno 911 and Legends of the Hidden Temple.
Last year, Chance the Rapper released his first official studio album, The Big Day, and then cancelled his tour after the birth of his daughter. He wasn’t totally idle, though, and even got in some hosting practice filling in on The Late Late Show. In April he’ll play the Something in the Water Festival, and you can get tickets here.