Super Pumped - What We Know So Far
While Uber is now a household term much like Kleenex, the company behind the ride-sharing, taxi-replacing service had a rollercoaster ride to that dominance. Oft the star of controversial headlines, Uber pioneered the now widespread gig economy with its fair share of public mistakes.
New York Times reporter Mike Isaac covered the company for many years before compiling its tumultuous story into his 2019 book "Super Pumped." Now, Showtime is producing a TV series based on Uber's complicated history from its founding to its initial public offering that includes no less than espionage, a coup, and plenty of scandal. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is stepping into the skin of another controversial public figure after his titular part in "Snowden" — he'll be playing the ex-CEO of Uber, Travis Kalanick.
For everyone who wants to learn all the dirty little details of Uber, here's everything we know so far about the upcoming series "Super Pumped."
When is the release date for Super Pumped?
So far, most of the news about "Super Pumped" has been casting announcements. Showtime has yet to publicly set a release date, or even a target time period for it to come out. If they begin filming later this year, or early next year, audiences can probably expect "Super Pumped" in late 2022. However, that is barring any pandemic-related (or otherwise) delays. Either way, when the series is released, it will air on Showtime.
Writing and executive producing "Super Pumped" are Beth Schacter of "Quantico" and "Soundtrack" and the "Billions" duo David Levien and Brian Koppelman, who also wrote "Ocean's Thirteen." Mike Isaac, who wrote the book "Super Pumped" is based on, is one of the other executive producers, according to Variety.
Little is known about how many episodes "Super Pumped" will be, but it is meant to be an anthology, with further seasons focusing on other business stories that had a big impact.
Who is in the cast of Super Pumped?
At the center of the Uber story is the company's co-founder and ex-CEO, the scandalous Travis Kalanick. On "Super Pumped," he'll be played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt of "Inception," "500 Days of Summer," and "3rd Rock from the Sun" fame (via Variety).
Alongside Gordon-Levitt, is Hank Azaria as Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple. Azaria's been in "The Birdcage," "Friends," and the stage musical "Spamalot," but is most well known for voicing several characters on "The Simpsons." He has won Emmys for his voice-over work as Moe, Chief Wiggum, and Comic Book Guy, and recently stepped back from his role as Apu.
"Friday Night Lights" star Kyle Chandler will play venture capitalist Bill Gurley, who acted as a mentor of Kalanick, before turning on him. In the role of Austin Geidt, Uber's fourth employee who's now an executive, is Kerry Bishé of "Halt and Catch Fire" and "Narcos." Babak Tafti ("Succession") will play Emil Michael, Kalanick's right hand man, while Mousa Hussein Kraish ("American Gods") is Uber driver Fawzi Kamel, who had a viral argument with Kalanick (via Deadline).
What is the plot of Super Pumped?
A scroll through New York Times reporter Mike Isaac's articles reveals Uber's history of lawsuits, poor workplace culture, infighting, and deception. He compiled it all into the book "Super Pumped" that details Uber's path from startup to publicly traded company and all the glitz, glamour, and shadiness that accompanied it. Audiences can expect the Showtime series of the same name to bring the story sketched in the book to the small screen.
When reviewing the book, Leslie Berlin of the New York Times wrote, "Isaac depicts Kalanick as an evil bro-genius, bent on world domination through ride-sharing ... He let nothing get in the way of that growth — not the livelihood of drivers, not the health and welfare of employees, not the counsel of his own advisers, not the laws and regulations of multiple states, and not the rules of Apple's app store." That offers a glimpse of what the tone of the series might be.
With Hank Azaria as Apple CEO Tim Cook joining the cast, we can expect that "Super Pumped" will delve into the drama between Apple and Uber. In 2015, Cook nearly removed Uber from the App Store for violating their privacy rules, according to the New York Times. For anyone who really wants to get an advanced idea of what the series will be about, they can read Isaac's book. Otherwise, a little suspense never hurt.