Earlier today, Netflix released the official trailer for Entergalactic, the streaming service’s limited animated series starring Scott Mescudi, better known to emo hearts around the world as Kid Cudi.
The clip is a little under two minutes long, and while it’s hard to parse exactly what we’re in for, there are a few takeaways to glean. Namely, this is a love story set in New York City in which protagonist Jabari, the bicycling bachelor voiced by Mescudi, falls for his next-door neighbor Meadow (Jessica Williams). Other voices in the mix include Ty Dolla $ign, Jaden Smith, Teyana Taylor, Keith David, and [adjusts eyeglasses] Macaulay Culkin.
Entergalactic premieres on September 30, dropping in conjunction with a musical album of the same name. Cudi, who serves as executive producer alongside Kenya Barris, says it’s his “most ambitious project” yet.
“Entergalactic is everything I’ve always wanted to do, create a long-form visual companion to an album,” Cudi said via press statement. “It all started with the music which helped bring this storyline and these characters to life.”
I’ve got some questions. Good questions. The kinds of questions that will have me tuning in once Entergalactic is out in the world. I’ve also got some expectations. Right or wrong, here’s what I’m anticipating from the self-proclaimed lonely stoner’s new joint.
A Whole Lotta Humming
Seeing as the limited series will be accompanied by an album, our guess is it will feature a bunch of new music from Cudder. Which means there’s going to be humming all over the place. You know how Scorsese set the record for most swear words in a film via The Wolf of Wall Street? Don’t be surprised if Entergalactic does the same with hums.
Even More Plumes of Weed Smoke
The other thing Kid Cudi is known for is smoking those jazz cigarettes. An earlier iteration of this series featuring a younger Kid Cudi would probably be an animated version of Pineapple Express rife with stoner humor, but you shouldn’t expect that here. Sure, his real-life friend, Timothée Chalamet, is going to voice Cudi’s drug-dealing best friend, but this is a love story, dammit. Weed will likely be ever-present, but won’t be the entire focus.
Chemistry
Speaking of friends, it looks like the cast is composed of a lot of Cudi’s homies and even family (his IRL big sister is playing his TV big sister). Chalamet, Christopher Abbott, Jaden Smith, 070 Shake, and more are going to lend some great chemistry to this project, giving it a lively feel.
A Kenya Barris Bounceback
Barris, who helped produce this project, had one of the hottest pens in Hollywood a few years back (justice for BlackAF!). But things have since cooled for him, and he’s been receiving lukewarm-ish receptions for his projects. Entergalactic is a perfect opportunity for him to get a little bit out of his comfort zone and find his stride once again.
Big Alphets
Enough hasn’t been said about how stylish Kid Cudi is. Whatever credit he gets, he actually deserves more. It’ll be a very big letdown if an animated show starring Kid Cudi as an artist doesn’t give its characters memorable fits. The possibilities are as vast as the animator’s imagination; they can wear anything. It needs to look like the Met Gala, first day of tour, red carpet, whatever, in every frame. I demand out-of-this-world fits and nothing less.