He's been a grappler, a governor, an "extreme" football analyst, a social commentator and now...a sitcom star? Sources say NBC is in talks with Jesse Ventura to star in a scripted comedy series.
No deals have been finalized, but it's understood that Ventura, the one-time pro wrestler who served as governor of Minnesota from 1999-2003, is kicking around ideas and meeting with writers for a possible deal at the peacock.
NBC declined comment.
Sources said Jeff Golenberg and Michael Green of management-production outfit the Collective, which does not represent Ventura, approached him with the notion of starring in a comedy series targeted for NBC. It's understood that if a deal does come to fruition, Golenberg and Green would serve as executive producers on the show along with Ventura's managers, Michael Braverman and Barry Bloom.
Ventura had a short-lived Saturday night series, Jesse Ventura's America, that ran for two months on MSNBC in 2003. He also was seen on NBC in 2001 as an analyst for the peacock's Xtreme Football League venture with World Wrestling Entertainment.
Maybe NBC will get Jennifer Aniston to play Ventura's sitcom wife. Or maybe not.
What would the call it? "Here Come the Guv"? They'd probably go for something generic like "The Jessie Ventura Show"