Netflix continues its aggressive push into comedy by teaming up with Chris Rock for his first stand-up special in a decade. Chris Rock: Tamborine premieres on the streaming platform on Valentines Day.
Netflix posted a brief, vague teaser no shots of the comedian, but lots of tambourines for the special earlier this month. The comedian announced the details for Chris Rock: Tamborine on Tuesday. The special was filmed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City and directed by Bo Burnham.
Rocks deal with Netflix was first revealed in 2016. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the streaming service won a multi-network bidding war by paying Rock $40 million for two specials. Chris Rock is a beloved actor and director, and his remarkable stand-up makes him comic royalty, said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos in a statement. There is no one like him.
In 2017, Rock embarked on his first stand-up tour in nine years. Havent done it in awhile, the comedian acknowledged when he announced the run. Been a little busy, you know, writing Pootie Tang 3 and everything. He was being somewhat modest. During his time away from stand-up, Rock continued to star in movies (including Top Five, which he wrote and directed), hosted the Oscars and earned an Emmy nomination for directing Amy Schumers HBO special Live at the Apollo.
Rocks last stand-up special, Kill the Messenger, came out in 2008 on HBO.