'21 Jump Street' Helmers Phil Lord & Chris Miller To Direct Andy Samberg Cop Comedy Pilot; Terry Crews Joins Cast

Pilot season is moving right along, and the still-untitled cop comedy pilot starring Andy Samberg that was set up last fall has some new blood. Directing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller are set to be at the helm, while Terry Crews will costar. The project is one of six comedy pilots to be picked up by Fox so far, and comes from Mike Schur and Dan Goor, the creators of “Parks and Recreation,” so it’s shaping up to be a powerhouse team.

Most interesting here is the addition of Lord and Miller, the directing team behind “Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs” and last spring’s mega-hit “21 Jump Street.” The pair have been buds since meeting when they were both in college at Dartmouth. While their only experience in television appears to be one season of an animated show called “Clone High” that aired on MTV 2002-2003, ‘Jump Street’ proved them to be fresh new comedy voices, and their youthful energy should bring a certain zip to this pilot. We’re wondering if their connection to Samberg helped them score the gig, as he voiced a character in ‘Cloudy’ and will reprise his role in the upcoming “Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers.” Or maybe he just saw "21 Jump Street" and realized they could pull of the cop-comedy thing with ease.

Crews has signed on to play Sgt. Terry Jeffords, the captain of the group of NYC detectives in the show; a cop who used to be tough but has softened since he started a family. Crews recently showed some nice comic chops on "The Newsroom" as the dedicated bodyguard for Will McAvoy. Undoubtedly, that's part of the reason why Crews is in high demand this pilot season with three separate offers. The fact that he landed here speaks well for the talent involved. Let’s hope Schur and Goor can deliver the goods again. [THR]