Mo Willems’ First Live-Action Special to Air on HBO Max

Mo Willems’ first live-action special will premiere on HBO Max on Thursday, September 17.

The Emmy Award-winning writer Mo Willems is bringing his beloved children’s art to HBO Max, with live-action special Mo Willems and The Storytime All-Stars Present: Don’t Let The Pigeon Do Storytime!. As HBO Max’s very first Artist-in-Residence, Willems has an exclusive, multi-year deal with the streaming service who are set to host this first Storytime special.

Willems’ is a children’s book author and illustrator and a  New York Times bestseller, who began his career on Sesame Street. His new special has been recorded live at the Kennedy Center, and features live readings of Willems’ Knuffle Bunny books and sketch comedy.

A range of celebrities including Anthony Anderson (black-ish), Yvette Nicole Brown (Community), Rachel Dratch (Saturday Night Live), Cameron Esposito (Take My Wife), Tony Hale (Veep), Greta Lee (Russian Doll), Tom Lennon (The Odd Couple), Natalie Morales (Abby’s) and Oscar Nunez (The Office) will be part of the special. As per HBO Max’s official description, Mo Willems: Don’t Let the Pigeon Do Storytime! will be hosted by Willems and popular pigeon creation. The description says the following:

Willems’s clever stories, witty songs, and beloved characters are performed like never before by a panel of celebrity guests, enhanced with hilarious sound effects and animations in Willems’s unique style, for a quality family entertainment experience both kids and adults will enjoy.”

The streaming service has also dropped the debut trailer for the special which was directed by comedian Bobcat Goldthwait – who directed Jimmy Kimmel Live! from 2004 to 2007 – and produced by Stampede Ventures. Don’t Let the Pigeon Do Storytime! which was reportedly filmed in the Summer of 2019, serves as the first release under the exclusive Willem-HBO Max pact, but he also has other projects in the pipeline, including an animated series based on his book Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed.

What are your thoughts on the trailer of Don’t Let the Pigeon Do Storytime!? Are you interested in the live-action special? Comment below!