The Greenaissance continues! Just some months in the past, Tom Inexperienced’s Freddy Obtained Fingered appeared on the Criterion Channel, alongside different Razzie-winning bombs arguably deserving of crucial reevaluation. And now the Canadian comic reportedly has three initiatives within the works with Amazon Prime Video. Not unhealthy for a man who simply 4 years in the past was the co-lead of an Asylum-produced Pixar knock-off starring Joey Lawrence.
The three initiatives embrace a stand-up particular that includes footage from a current North American tour, in addition to a career-spanning documentary which “captures the early days of his humble beginnings in Canada, to stardom in Hollywood.”
Then there’s the unscripted actuality present referred to as Tom Inexperienced Nation, which follows Inexperienced as he “relocates from the intense lights of Hollywood to an easier life on his newly bought nation farm.” Inexperienced has already been sharing some movies of his Ontario farm on YouTube, for anybody who needs to see the man from Street Journey patrolling for wolves on horseback for 45 minutes.
Why is Amazon going all in on Tom Inexperienced proper now?
The announcement additionally famous that a number of different Canadian productions are coming to Amazon, together with a number of true crime reveals, that are presumably like American true-crime reveals, however with extra apologizing. This funding in leisure from North of the border could be very probably because of current adjustments in Canadian regulation.
Following the passing of the controversial Invoice C-11 final yr, streamers will now be regulated like conventional broadcasters in Canada, that means that they are going to be compelled to “contribute to and promote Canadian content material.”
The brand new guidelines gained’t go into impact till “late 2025” however mainly streamers that make at the very least $25 million must pay 5 p.c of their annual Canadian income right into a fund that helps Canadian content material in numerous types. However as an incentive for corporations to themselves spend money on Canadian initiatives, streamers can deduct contributions to Canadian productions from their annual cost, as much as a specific amount.
On condition that wrinkle, and the regulation’s requirement that streamers improve the “discoverability” of Canadian content material, it stands to cause that corporations like Amazon Prime would need to produce extra Canuck reveals proper now. Or simply attempt to idiot regulators by digitally inserting hockey sticks and mountie hats into outdated episodes of The Vampire Diaries.
Whereas the definition of what ought to qualify as “Canadian content material” underneath these new rules remains to be considerably ill-defined, the timing of Amazon’s announcement actually makes it appear as in the event that they’re anticipating the change. The press launch notes that every certainly one of Inexperienced’s reveals is “produced by Tom Inexperienced Productions Canada.”
After they’ve milked Tom Inexperienced dry, possibly Amazon will lastly get round to creating a second season of the widely-beloved, additionally extraordinarily Canadian Youngsters within the Corridor reboot?
You (sure, you) ought to observe JM on Twitter (if it nonetheless exists by the point you’re studying this).
