Pitch Perfect Is Returning In A Totally Unexpected Way

In 2010, the musical comedy "Pitch Perfect," written by Kay Cannon and directed by Jason Moore, was released into theaters where it brought in over $115 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). Set at the fictional Barden University, "Pitch Perfect" follows the all-woman a capella group, the Barden Bellas, as they struggle to compete to win Nationals, following a an embarrassing moment from the previous season. New freshman student and rebellious aspiring music producer Beca (Anna Kendrick) finds herself reluctantly joining the Bellas, led by college seniors Aubrey (Anna Camp) and Chloe (Brittany Snow), when her father pushes her to become more involved in school activities. The ensemble cast also included Skylar Astin, Adam DeVine ,and Ben Platt, all of whom play characters in the Bellas' rival group at Barden, the Treblemakers.

The success of the first film led to two sequels, "Pitch Perfect 2" and "Pitch Perfect 3," which came out in 2015 and 2017, respectively. The second film saw the Barden Bellas competing in a world championship competition, and the third film reunited the now-graduated Bellas for an overseas USO tour. Per Box Office Mojo, both sequels surpassed the first film in box office sales with "Pitch Perfect 2" making about $287 million worldwide, while "Pitch Perfect 3" making over $185 million.

When it comes to a franchise with this kind of success, it's not surprising that there's a desire to keep it going, and the creative team has also wanted to keep exploring the world of a capella. Well, much to the delight of "Pitch Perfect" fans, a continuation of the story is indeed in the works — in the form of a television show.

Peacock has ordered a "Pitch Perfect" TV series, as reported by Variety, with actor Adam Devine set to reprise his role as Bumper Allen from the films. Elizabeth Banks, who produced the first two films and directed the second, will serve as a producer. The series will be written by Megan Amram ("The Good Place," "Parks and Recreation"), who will also act as showrunner and executive producer.

According to Variety, the new series will take place several years after the events of the films, as Bumper — originally a primary antagonist in the first movie, then a supporting character and love interest in the second — becomes an overnight success in Germany, leading to him flying overseas and attempting to get his music career back on track. 

Bumper, the former leader of The Treblemakers, was only mentioned in the third film, but he didn't appear: evidently, his relationship with Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) didn't last long, and it's currently unknown if the new series will explore that, or try to start with a relatively fresh slate.

About the newly announced series, Susan Rovner, chairman of entertainment content for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said in a statement, "Our upcoming 'Pitch Perfect' series is another example of the unmatched synergy NBCUniversal is able to expand upon with our wide-ranging library of IP. When we saw the opportunity to create a series for 'Pitch Perfect' with Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman and Paul Brooks plus more earworm classics for super fans to enjoy, we jumped at it. And to top it off, we are so fortunate that Adam Devine is headlining the series and bringing fans the quirky, laugh-out-loud sensibility they loved in the film franchise."