GoKawiilHollywood’s finest — the people accustomed to massive eight-figure checks and exotic movie sets — are now betting on something much smaller: microdramas.
Microdramas are short, scripted series designed to be watched on phones. Episodes typically run just a few minutes, and often feature soap opera-style plots, dramatic twists, and cliffhangers designed to keep viewers watching, and often paying, for the next episode.
The format took off in China before rapidly gaining traction internationally. Omdia estimates that U.S. revenue generated by microdramas is expected to reach $1.5 billion this year. A growing number of apps have emerged to capitalize, including ReelShort and DramaBox, and even TikTok has entered the market, launching its own app, PineDrama, earlier this year.
Now, Hollywood talent is starting to get involved, whether by starring in new series, launching their own companies, or investing in platforms.
It’s understandable. Movie studios are looking for cheaper and faster ways to produce content, and many talent and crew are going without work. At the same time, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are capturing an ever-larger share of viewers’ attention, which is turning microdramas into an increasingly attractive new corner of the entertainment business.
Here are some of the most well-known names getting a slice of the microdrama pie.
James Franco
Image Credits:Marilla Sicilia/Archivio Marilla Sicilia/Mondadori Portfolio / Getty Images
The latest recognizable Hollywood actor to make the jump is James Franco, who stars in “Love, Lies & Frank,” streaming exclusively on Shortical.
Franco plays the CEO of an advertising agency that becomes mixed up in crime and werewolves. The premise seems to follow a similar formula to most microdramas, and is packed with outrageously dramatic scenes and a forbidden romance.
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