Jonah Hill and Hannibal Buress Sell Sitcom to Fox

Deadline reports today that comedy star Jonah Hill and writer/stand-up comedian Hannibal Buress have sold a new comedy project to Fox. Details of the show's style and concept are yet to be determined, but the sitcom will be co-written by Hill and Buress, and Buress will star.

“My initial dream was to write a show for Fox News, but Jonah convinced me we’d have a slightly better shot at normal Fox,” Buress said. This will be the comedian's first starring role; his most recognizable onscreen role is probably playing a homeless man in several episodes of 30 Rock.

"From the first time I saw Hannibal perform," Hill said, "I started banging down the door to be the person to help guide his unique voice and material to television. I feel lucky he chose me and my bosses at Fox."

Buress was featured as one of Back Stage's "10 Comics to Watch" earlier this year, and with the help of Fox and Hill, the up-and-coming comic will soon be seen by a much larger television audience. The deal seems to part of a growing trend, too, as networks are once again looking to stand-ups such as Whitney Cummings, Demetri Martin, Dane Cook, Sarah Silverman, and Roseanne Barr to create their next crop of new sitcoms.

In addition to multiple appearances on stand-up specials and late-night talk shows, Buress has been a writer for Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. His debut album, My Name is Hannibal, was released in 2010. He also hosts a free weekly comedy show every Sunday night at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, NY.

-- Daniel Lehman