‘Among Us’ Animated Series Officially In the Works at CBS Studios
That's pretty sus.
By Julia Humphrey
Published Jun 27, 2023
There's an imposter Among Us, and CBS Studios is determined to find them. That's right. The hit multiplayer game is officially getting an adaptation, bringing the chaos to the small screen. According to Variety, CBS Eye Animation Productions and Among Us game studio Innersloth are developing an animated television adaptation of the game. Owen Dennis (Infinity Train) acts as creator and executive producer.
Randall Park (Fresh Off The Boat), Ashley Johnson (The Last of Us), Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) and Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings film trilogy) are set to lead the voice cast of Among Us, an animated series based on the highly popular game. CBS Studios‘ animation arm Eye Animation Productions is currently developing the project in partnership with Innersloth, the independent studio behind the game.
For now, few plot details about the Among Us show are being kept under wraps. However, viewers can expect it to follow a similar premise as the game. Set in a sci-fi-esque world, the game (and show) focuses on the ship of crew, where one or more members "have been replaced by an alien shape-shifter." Chaos quickly ensues, with the imposter doing everything they can to sabotage and eventually kill everyone. So, it's up to the crew to seek out the imposter lest they become victims in a fatal game. While the game initially seems unconventional for an adaptation, it's the perfect set-up for a murder mystery.
Among Us first released in 2018 but didn't gain significant traction until the pandemic first hit in 2020. What better way to spend quarantine than to try and kill your friends (in good fun, of course). The game is available on a variety of platforms, including mobile, PC, and other gaming consoles such as PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. Last year, the game received a special physical release chock-full of content for the diehard fans. A VR edition of the game was also previously announced.
The Among Us series will be helmed by animation studio Titmouse, who has worked on series including Netflix's Big Mouth, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and more. Innersloth's Forest Willard, Marcus Bromander, and Carl Neisser, and Titmouse's Shannon Prynoski, Chris Prynoski, Ben Kalina, and Antonio Cannobio will executive produce alongside Dennis. No streaming or network platform has been set.
Per the logline, the series is based on the game’s premise: “Members of your crew have been replaced by an alien shapeshifter intent on causing confusion, sabotaging the ship, and killing everyone. Root out the ‘Impostor’ or fall victim to its murderous designs.”
Character details below:
Randall Park will voice Red – Captain of The Skeld
People-pleaser, blowhard
Task: leadership, confidence
Fun Fact: failed upwards
Ashley Johnson will voice Purple – Chief of Security
Safety, suspicion, sarcasm
Task: wet blanket
Fun Fact: trust issues
Yvette Nicole Brown will voice Orange – HR
Spineless corporate shill
Task: eliminate redundancy, redundantly
Fun Fact: fires you over email
Elijah Wood will voice Green – Unpaid Intern
Happy to be there
Task: whatever they’re told
Fun Fact: gets paid in pizza
Titmouse will serve as the animation studio. Dennis executive produces with Forest Willard, Marcus Bromander, and Carl Neisser of Innersloth, along with Titmouse’s Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Antonio Canobbio and Ben Kalina.
Among Us is hugely popular. The game, which launched in 2018, had over 500 million monthly active users, with more than 4 billion views on YouTube and more than 1.22 billion viewing sessions on Twitch during Q4 2020. In October 2020, Among Us was No. 1 on Google Play in 66 countries, Top 100 in all countries except 2. It was also No. 1 on iOS in 55 countries, Top 100 in all countries except 14. The game recently released a new map (The Fungle) and continues to boast millions of players daily.
Jesus Christ why does this exist
Money.