{"id":599919,"date":"2026-08-29T19:30:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T19:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/599919\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T19:30:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T19:30:12","slug":"hollywood-celebs-are-getting-into-microdrama-apps-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/599919\/","title":{"rendered":"Hollywood celebs are getting into microdrama apps"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hollywood’s finest \u2014 the people accustomed to massive eight-figure checks and exotic movie sets \u2014 are now betting on something much smaller: microdramas.<\/p>\n

Microdramas<\/a> are short, scripted series designed to be watched on phones. Episodes typically run just a few minutes, and often feature soap opera-style plots, dramatic twists, and cliffhangers designed to keep viewers watching, and often paying, for the next episode.<\/p>\n

The format took off in China before rapidly gaining traction internationally. Omdia <\/a>estimates that U.S. revenue generated by microdramas is expected to reach $1.5 billion this year. A growing number of apps have emerged to capitalize, including ReelShort and DramaBox, and even TikTok has entered the market, launching its own app, PineDrama<\/a>, earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Now, Hollywood talent is starting to get involved, whether by starring in new series, launching their own companies, or investing in platforms.<\/p>\n

It’s understandable. Movie studios are looking for cheaper and faster ways to produce content, and many talent and crew are going without work<\/a>. At the same time, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are capturing an ever-larger share of viewers’ attention, which is turning microdramas into an increasingly attractive new corner of the entertainment business.<\/p>\n

Here are some of the most well-known names getting a slice of the microdrama pie.<\/p>\n

James Franco\"<span<\/p>\n

Image Credits:Marilla Sicilia\/Archivio Marilla Sicilia\/Mondadori Portfolio \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

The latest recognizable Hollywood actor to make the jump is James Franco, who stars in “Love, Lies & Frank,” streaming exclusively on Shortical<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Franco plays the CEO of an advertising agency that becomes mixed up in crime and werewolves. The premise seems to follow a similar formula to most microdramas, and is packed with outrageously dramatic scenes and a forbidden romance.<\/p>\n

The project is notable for being one of the first microseries produced under SAG-AFTRA’s new verticals agreement<\/a>, a union contract specifically for low-budget microdramas. This offers an early glimpse of how the format could create new opportunities for actors and other Hollywood talent.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, Franco’s involvement has drawn attention for another reason: The project marks his attempt at a comeback following sexual misconduct allegations and a legal settlement<\/a> in 2021. Variety’s review<\/a> of the show wasn’t glowing, either, with the magazine writing that the actor “appears to be sleepwalking through his lines.”<\/p>\n

What compelled Franco to take on a microdrama gig is anyone’s guess, but his casting is still notable. It’s rare to see a major actor who has made millions and starred in blockbuster projects headline a small series built for mobile screens.<\/p>\n

Issa Rae\"scene<\/p>\n

Issa Rae may be one of the most natural stars to embrace the microdrama boom. She created and starred in the 2011 web series “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl<\/a>,” which helped launch her career.<\/p>\n

In May, Issa Rae’s company Hoorae Media partnered with TikTok’s new PineDrama app to launch “Screen Time,” a thriller about a double date that takes a dark turn when a mysterious person hijacks the television and starts forcing the couples to confront their secrets.<\/p>\n

The series quickly became a breakout hit, gathering nearly 75 million views<\/a> in its first week and becoming the top-performing vertical series on TikTok and PineDrama at the time. It later surpassed 150 million views<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jesse Tyler Ferguson\"<span<\/p>\n

Image Credits:Chris Delmas \/ AFP \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

“Modern Family” star Jesse Tyler Ferguson is also getting into the business with “Theater Kids Vs. Zombies<\/a>,” an upcoming musical comedy for vertical storytelling platform aTwist.<\/p>\n

The premise is pretty much what the title suggests: A group of theater students finds their high school overrun by zombies, and realizes their best chance of survival is to put on a musical.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ferguson’s entry could be significant, as this series doesn’t sound much like the romance and soap-opera formulae that dominate microdramas, instead leaning into comedy and theater-kid culture.<\/p>\n

Taye Diggs\"<span<\/p>\n

Not only did Taye Diggs star in a microdrama, he’s getting more deeply involved in the business, too.<\/p>\n

In January, Diggs was announced as the star and executive producer of “Off Limits & All Mine” for platform CandyJar<\/a>. He plays a widowed mogul who becomes involved in a forbidden romance with his best friend’s adult daughter.<\/p>\n

More notably, Diggs has launched<\/a> his own mobile-first, vertical storytelling platform, Microhouse Films<\/a>, which aims to give filmmakers greater control over how they produce and monetize their projects. Eight projects were included in the platform’s debut launch, including “Tides of Temptation,” a series created in collaboration with Lifetime.<\/p>\n

The move is significant because instead of just jumping on the microdrama trend, Diggs is now helping build the space itself.<\/p>\n

Kim Kardashian\"Kim<\/p>\n

Image Credits:Nathan Congleton\/NBC \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Kim Kardashian’s involvement highlights another way celebrities are entering the market. While the celebrity hasn’t starred in a microdrama yet, she has already put money behind the business, investing in GammaTime<\/a> alongside her mother, Kris Jenner, and other angel investors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hollywood’s finest \u2014 the people accustomed to massive eight-figure checks and exotic movie sets \u2014 are now betting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":599920,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[271274,20607,146,56895,271269,1077,2085,85,46,163745,271270,11644,122985,22250,271271,271272,271273,10700],"class_list":["post-599919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-candyjar","tag-diggs","tag-entertainment","tag-ferguson","tag-franco","tag-getty-images","tag-hollywood","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-issa-rae","tag-issa-raes","tag-james-franco","tag-jesse-tyler-ferguson","tag-kim-kardashian","tag-pinedrama","tag-taye-diggs","tag-the-misadventures-of-awkward-black-girl","tag-tiktok"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=599919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/599920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=599919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=599919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=599919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}