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Jim Carrey flashes back to the 70s stand-up scene with a dark comedy for Showtime

Before getting his big break in the movies, Jim Carrey started his career as a stand-up comedian

Jim Carrey is the latest in a line of Hollywood stars to produce a TV series. Showtime's President and CEO David Nevins announced that the cable network was to pick up Carrey's "I'm Dying Up Here," a dark comedy based on the stand-up scene in the 1970s.

In his first stint as a TV producer, Jim Carrey is flashing back to a world he knows only too well. In the late 1970s, the actor left his native Canada for California, where he began performing at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, before getting his big break in the movies. In fact, Carrey is one of many Hollywood stars who started their career in stand-up comedy around this time.

"I'm Dying Up Here" will be set in a similar Los Angeles comedy club, ruled over by brazen club-owner Goldie and her iron fist. Set to be played by Melissa Leo ("The Big Short"), this central character will be seen mentoring young up-and-coming comedians. Clark Duke ("Kick-Ass"), Michael Angarano ("The Knick") and Sebastian Stan ("Captain America") are also to star in the series, which is due to start filming in the autumn.

Showtime's announcement comes just a few days after Jim Carrey's much-talked-of appearance at the Golden Globes. In fact, it was the actor's first public appearance since his partner's suicide in September. Although Carrey had a quiet year in 2015 with no movie releases, 2016 will see him star alongside Charlotte Gainsbourg in thriller "True Crimes" and Keanu Reeves in "The Bad Batch."