Comedy legend Jerry Seinfeld is set to make his directorial debut on Netflix this coming May. As the director and leading man, Seinfeld takes on a landmark event in junk food history in Unfrosted.
“I believe we have split the atom of breakfast,” Seinfeld says in the new trailer as his character. With a melodramatic, Apollo mission-like introduction, the TV show deals with an invention that revolutionised breakfasts as a kind of cereal-killer as a cast of the biggest names in comedy are telling the story of the Pop-Tarts.
As a clash of the titans between huge companies Kellog and Post, the real-life rivalry is given Seinfeld’s dynamic comedic treatment. To bring it to life, he’s brought in the titans of his own industry. Melissa McCarthy plays his right-hand woman, while Amy Schumer is also on board to play his nemesis from the rival brand.
Starring alongside Jon Hamm, Max Greenfield, Dan Levy, James Marsen, Christian Slater and more, he’s clearly called in all his favours and brought in the biggest and best names for his directorial debut, obviously out to prove his worth in that department. The show also features Hugh Grant playing Tony The Tiger, continuing his run of weird and wacky roles following his take on an Oompa Loompa in Wonka.
Set in the 1960s, the trailer looks like a kind of campy period piece, buying into the idea of the American Dream and presenting Pop-Tarts as a step towards modernity. Mirroring the Space Race of the same era, as Russia and America raced to the moon, the battle between Kellogs and Post to perfect the recipe is played out with the tension of a tongue-in-cheek drama.
The official synopsis of the show reads: “Michigan, 1963. Kellogg’s and Post, sworn cereal rivals, race to create a pastry that will change the face of breakfast. A tale of ambition, betrayal, sugar, and menacing milkmen, Unfrosted stars Jerry Seinfeld in his directorial debut.”
But beyond the content and the cast, Unfrosted also looks visually great. With the early ‘60s Americana setting and the pastel colour palette, there is a Wes Anderson quality as Seinfeld’s kooky comedy is even extended into the cinematography.
Set to land on Netflix on 3rd May, there’s a while until you can watch the show, but the trailer for the series is out now:
