The nameās Powers. Chad Powers. And heās coming (back) to a screen near you.
Hulu ordered Eli Manningās character āChad Powersā to be made into its own comedy series, according to a company press release. Manning created and transformed into Powers for an episode of his docuseries āEliās Placesā after Manningās curiosity about the college football walk-on process led him to try out at Penn State under the pseudonym and disguise. With help from a special effects artist and Matthew McConaughey-like persona, Manning successfully tried out 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 seemingly in the know about Manningās true identity, outed Powers at the end of tryouts.
The episode aired on ESPN in September 2022. It was produced by Peyton Manningās media company Omaha Productions.
āThe love for Chad Powers has surprised me in spectacular ways,ā Manning said in a statement. āI played 16 years in the NFL, but now when Iām in a restaurant or walking through an airport, itās not uncommon for fans to scream, āHey Chad!āā
The new series will be co-written and -created by Glen Powell, the actor who played Jake āHangmanā Seresin in the box-office hit āTop Gun: Maverick,ā and writer/producer Michael Waldron, known for āLokiā and āRick and Morty.ā Both will serve as executive producers along with ESPN and Omaha Productionsā Peyton Manning, Jamie Horowitz and Ben Brown.
āI hope Glen is working on his QB skills, I saw him throw a football in Maverickā¦he has some work to do!!ā Manning said on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday.
In the new Hulu series, bad behavior dismantles hotshot QB Russ Hollidayās college career, causing him to go incognito and walk onto a struggling Southern football team as the charming Chad Powers.
āWeāre both diehard college football fans,ā Powell and Waldron said in the release. āWhen we saw Eli as Chad Powers, we knew that was the way into a big, fun story about this world. Weāre excited to be part of this team, and canāt wait to get Chad in the game. Think fast, run fast.ā
Get ready to Think Fast, Run Fast, @glenpowell. pic.twitter.com/nLNf5COZ3E
ā Omaha Productions (@OmahaProd) February 22, 2024
It is yet another media venture for the Manning brothers. Ahead of the 2023 season, both Peyton and Eli Manning announced their alternate āMonday Night Footballā telecast on ESPN2 in partnership with Omaha Productions.
The release date for the Hulu series has not yet been announced, so stay ready to think fast, run faster to a screen near you.
(Photo: Amir Hamja / Bloomberg via Getty Images)