Tom Hanks has been behind some of the best films and television shows in the business; aside from starring in them, his production company, Playtone, is responsible for “Where The Wild Things Are”, “Charlie Wilson’s War”, “Mamma Mia!” and the beautiful, haunting WWII miniseries “The Pacific”, among other things. Now, he’s breaking into barely-explored territory with a web series that integrates social media, digital technology, and gaming.
Hanks has now formed a partnership with Yahoo! for a series called “Electric City“, which provides an animated look at a dystopian future and highlights shady dealings, murder, and the all the shadowy adventures of secret police that can be found in film noir, only set to a background of relevant themes to our society. Mysteries are hinted at but not quite revealed; that’s part of the fun of the show, which incorporates audience interaction. The show will be available on iOS and Android and can be accessed across many digital devices, including tablets. There will also be a digital comic book released which expands on the story’s background, and mobile users can access a role-playing game in which they take on the one of the characters.
“Every now and then, storytelling and technology unite in a fun and surprising way,” said Playtone’s Gary Goetzman. “‘Electric City’ brings viewers into a totally unique world through a truly immersive online experience whether they’re at home on their computers or mobile on their tablets and smartphones.”
The show will debut on July 17th on Yahoo! with the first ten episodes; no worries, those of you with short attention spans. They’re all 5-7 minutes long. The rest of the episodes will be added on July 18th and 19th. Along with the voice talents of Tom Hanks, the show boasts actors Daniel Franzese (“Bully”, “Mean Girls”), Ginnifer Goodwin (“Big Love”, “Once Upon A Time”), Jeanne Tripplehorn (“Basic Instinct”, “The Firm”), and Chris Parnell (“Anchorman”, SNL), among others.
Take a gander at the trailer here.