The life and times of Hugh Hefner are set to get the big ol’ centerfold treatment in 2017. Amazon has ordered a 13-episode docu-series on the Playboy patriarch and yes, that’s a lot more episodes than NBC’s Mad Men aping ’60s drama The Playboy Club brought to TV. (Sorry, Amber Heard.)
Equipped with the reasonable title American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story, this upcoming offering has the hook of digging into a pretty impressive stockpile of archived material. 17,000-plus hours of archival footage and 2,600 of Hef’s scrapbooks are being delved into, plus someone might grab the 90-year-old publishing titan’s sea captain’s hat to see if any secrets are in there too. The series will begin with Hefner’s life in post-WWII America and explore the assorted facets in the Playboy founder’s life. The project is being billed as Hefner’s story told in his own words and the promise of “never-before-told” stories serves as a bit of a draw.
“Although Hugh Hefner is an iconic figure known worldwide, most people may not be aware of the impact he has had on some of this country’s most important social revolutions,” declared Conrad Riggs, Head of Unscripted, Amazon Studios, in a press release trumpeting the docu-series. “We are excited to bring Prime members the untold story of Mr. Hefner’s remarkable life and his contributions to modern American history.”
The landing date for the project is 2017, although an exact date for its arrival doesn’t appear to be ironed out just yet. When American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story does tumble out, it will be as an Amazon Prime exclusive in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Austria and Japan. No word yet on how many episodes will be dedicated to the Fresh Prince episode set at the Playboy Mansion.
(Via Variety)
