Netflix Is A Joke Festival debuts Absurdverse with star-studded satire
Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser has unveiled the first round of voice castings for his upcoming TV and video game franchise, "Absurdverse," ahead of formally revealing a first look at the project next month at the Netflix Is A Joke Festival.
Described as an "interconnected comedy satire universe with an untitled animated series and an untitled original AAA story-driven open world video game project currently in development," the "Absurdverse" will star Rachel Dratch, Dan Soder, Ari Matti, Annie Lederman, Yamaneika Saunders and Steph Tolev across several projects.
Additional actors (the "Absurdverse" is expected to boast a "cast of hundreds" for the animated series and video game projects) will be announced at a later date. This initial lineup of comedy vets and standup stars are the ones who will be featured in the "Absurdverse" animated shorts that will be screened at an exclusive live comedy event as part of the Netflix Is A Joke Festival in Los Angeles on May 7 at The Hollywood Improv.
Per the description from Houser's media company, Absurd Ventures, "In these original shorts, eventgoers will be introduced to an ensemble of eclectic and unhinged characters, including a Chief People Officer who treats his job like a DJ residency (voiced by Dan Soder), a chain-smoking sovereign citizen podcaster (voiced by Rachel Dratch), an insane MMA fighter (voiced by up-and-coming comedian, Samantha Alton), and more. The event will feature live standup from Patton Oswalt and Absurdaverse cast members Dan Soder, Ari Matti, Yamaneika Saunders, Steph Tolev, and host Annie Lederman."
Absurd Ventures expects to reveal release windows and platform partners for both the untitled animated series and AAA open-world action-adventure game at a later date.
Created by Houser and his longtime writing partner Jeffrey "Lazlow" Jones, the "Asburdverse" project was first announced last year as a key focus for Houser's Absurd Ventures media company, which he launched after leaving Rockstar Games in 2020.
Houser and Jones worked closely together at Rockstar on projects across the "Grand Theft Auto" and "Red Dead Redemption" franchises. Some of Houser's most beloved work within the "GTA" world are the fan-favorite satirical animated TV shows and cartoons featured within the games' universe, including "Princess Robot Bubblegum," "Kung Fu Rainbow Laser Force," "Republican Space Rangers," and "The Loneliest Robot in Great Britain."
The "Absurdverse" animated shorts are produced by Dave Newberg (#1 Happy Family USA), with character designs by Kendra Melton (Rick & Morty, The Venture Bros) and animation via Cutting Class Media.
"Since our earliest days working together, Dan and I have approached storytelling with an emphasis on comedy, satire and creating immersive media universes - whether through in-world radio, animated TV shows, comedy clubs you could visit, and more," Lazlow said. "We always loved making those animated shows starting with GTA4 and expanding through all the games that followed. The Absurdaverse is our evolution of that tradition, partnering with comedians to bring these ridiculous characters to life with stories that will cross over between animation and open world games."
"For many years, Lazlow and I have collaborated to give form to all sorts of characters that have inhabited our worlds," Houser added. "I look forward to introducing some of our newest group of maniacs from our next universe in this first set of animated shorts. We are proud to partner with the Netflix Is A Joke Festival to present this first look."
