If we told you that High School Musical or Sister Act inspired Pitch Perfect's upcoming TV series, you probably wouldn't think twice, right? But what if we told you that Loki was actually a driving force behind the musical new spin-off?
On The View recently, Elizabeth Banks, who starred in all three Pitch Perfect films and directed the franchise's second big-screen installment, got to talking about Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin, which she executive produced. During the appearance, she revealed that the Marvel show's treatment of one of the MCU's most notable bad guys convinced the creative team that they could do the same with Adam DeVine's acapella-loving antagonist.
"We're always looking for ways to bring more Pitch Perfect to the fans," Banks said. "Honestly, we were a little inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe Loki show. They took a villain [played by Tom Hiddleston] from Marvel and they gave him a television show, a whole backstory. We thought, can we do that with Adam DeVine's character, Bumper? He's kind of a lovable villain."
Set to premiere on US streaming platform Peacock on November 23, Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin sees the titular singer move to Germany, after one of his pop songs proves a hit in Europe. His hopes of reviving his career are dashed, though, when he runs into Das Sound Machine, the ruthless singing collective that threatened the Barden Bellas in Pitch Perfect 2. Sarah Hyland, Lera Abova, Flula Borg, and Jameela Jamil also star.
"He's such a great comedic actor," Banks said of DeVine. "We paired him with Das Sound Machine from the second film as well, which is why he's in Berlin. It's basically about second chances, somebody who's always dreamed of having a singing career, and what that can look like for someone like Bumper, who's having a change of heart."
While we wait for the release of Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin, check out our guide to the best new TV shows coming our way throughout the rest of 2022 and beyond.
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