J.K. Simmons to Star in NBC's DJ Nash Comedy

Courtesy of NBC

J.K. Simmons

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J.K. Simmons, who next appears on ABC's upcoming summer comedy Family Tools, has been tapped to star in the network's comedy pilot from DJ Nash, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

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The single-camera effort revolves around a son who idolizes his blind father, Mel, and is bemused by his mother’s (Parker Posey) newfound adolescence as he watches his family come closer together post-divorce. Loosely based on Nash's life.

Simmons will play Mel, a character described as in the vein of John Wayne, if the gunslinger traded in his horse for a guide dog. Mel has been blind since the age of 11 and refuses to let that stop him from being a father or teaching his kids how to parallel park.

The comedy is set in the '80s and is told through voiceover from the adult son's perspective.

Up All Night's Nash will pen the script and exec produce the Universal Television vehicle alongside Jason Bateman and Jim Garavente.

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In addition to Family Tools (which bows May 1), Simmons' credits include The Closer, the Spider-Man features and animated series as well as the upcoming jOBS. He's repped by Gersh.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit