Tom Hanks To Star & Produce Animated Sci-Fi Series 'Electric City' For Yahoo!

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by Ryan Sartor
January 9, 2012 12:53 PM
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Exclusive online original content by big stars has gained traction in recent years with folks like Kiefer Sutherland, Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt finding a digital creative outlet (not to mention the massive success of Funny Or Die). But now, one of Hollywood’s favorite sons is getting in the mix: Variety reports that Tom Hanks is partnering up with Yahoo! and Reliance Entertainment on an animated sci-fi program called “Electric City.” Hanks has been developing the project for eight years. He will get a “created by” credit on the show as well as provide the voice of the title character.

Hanks and his Playtone Pictures producing partner Gary Goetzman pitched the project around Hollywood a decade ago, but film and TV didn’t work out as a medium. Now that it's gearing up, "Electric City" will be feature twenty episodes running between 3 and 5 minutes. It will be available to watch on your PC or mobile or whatever, though a single, longer version will be made available at some point as well. The show will also utilize social media to expand the world and also some kind of 3D interactive map. Yay.

"Electric City" will be set in the future, where a totalitarian government holds “tight control over the power.” Hanks will voice a character will works for the government, but is sympathetic to the cause of bandits who are siphoning electricity. The tone of project is said to be somewhat similiar to "Lost." It is yet to be seen if this will be Hanks’ “Governator” or a legitimate animated show. There is no word on when the project will hit computer screens, but when we know, you’ll know.

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