Quentin Tarantino Will Narrate Showtime's Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber, Because Sure, Why Not

Quentin Tarantino loves a good throwdown; the dirtier the fight, the better. Whether stanning for the schoolyard free-for-all "Battle Royale" back in 2009 (which also happens to be Danielle Ryan's first rec after binging "Squid Game") or anticipating a bloodbath in any of the numerous Mexican standoffs he puts in his films, the "Hateful Eight" director lives for combat in every iteration. So, it would follow that Tarantino would lend his voice to an anthology series about ... Uber? 

That's right, the auteur filmmaker is set to narrate the inaugural season of Showtime series "Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber," based on Mike Isaac's 2019 bestselling book of the same title. The show stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as abrasive Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, who was later forced to resign following a scathing report emerging from a sexual harassment investigation into the company. Rounding out the cast are Kyle Chandler as Bill Gurley, Kerry Bishé as Austin Geidt, Hank Azaria as Tim Cook, Babak Tafti, Mousa Hussein Kraish, and Elisabeth Shue. The series also brings Tarantino back to his bloodstained bride of the "Kill Bill" films, star Uma Thurman, who plays author and businesswoman Arianna Huffington. 

The synopsis, via Showtime:

"Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber" tells the story of one of Silicon Valley's most successful and most destructive unicorns, Uber. The season pivots on Travis Kalanick (Gordon-Levitt), Uber's hard-charging CEO who was ultimately ousted in a boardroom coup, and his sometimes tumultuous relationship with his mentor Bill Gurley (Chandler), the plainspoken, brilliant Texan venture capitalist who bets his sterling reputation on Uber's success – and then has to live with the consequences.

Showrunners Brian Koppelman and David Levien (co-creators of "Billions") serve as executive producers alongside Paul Schiff, Stephen Schiff and Allyce Ozarsk. Author Mike Isaac serves as co-executive producer. The series is set to debut on Showtime at 10 P.M. on February 27, 2022.

Wasting no time, ViacomCBS announced during their investor day press conference that "Super Pumped" was renewed for a second season already, before its first episode has even dropped. The next season is said to focus on Facebook, with the same showrunners and writers attached. The second installment of the series sports a fresh cadre of characters, specifically CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his dynamic with COO Sheryl Sandberg at the epicenter of the company's ascent to a world-changing power.

Both the book and the first season of the series cover the events that unfolded between Uber's genesis in 2009 (founded by Garrett Camp as UberCab) and its initial public offering a decade later. A Wired review of the book has high praise for Isaac's ability to keep Kalanick at enough distance to neither crucify nor canonize him, so it's fair to speculate that the series, exec produced by Isaac as well, would hold the same gaze upon the former CEO. The story of the ridesharing company is a fascinating one with scandal and betrayal behind the parties and tech bro culture. And now, Quentin Tarantino is going to tell the wild story.

"Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber" arrives at Showtime on February 27, 2022.