As one of the most successful stand-up comedians on the planet – speaking both in terms of recognizability and money earned – Dave Chappelle is in a place where every new project he puts out is worthy of rampant anticipation. Case in point: Netflix released a trailer for his new stand-up comedy special, titled "Sticks and Stones," and it's got us super-pumped simply by having esteemed actor Morgan Freeman drop a couple of F-bombs.
Though viewers won't be able to see any of Dave Chappelle's actual stand-up act in the trailer below, it is definitely worth checking out. If nothing else, it'll make you consider selling most of your prized possessions in order to pay Morgan Freeman to narrate your life for a day.
I'll be damned if Morgan Freeman doesn't inspire oodles of respectability and credence regardless of what he's actually talking about. He could have just read off a list of McDonald's menu items, or laid out a bunch of breakfast cereal ingredients, and both of those lists would have been gripping, emotionally balanced, and heartwarming. (Side note: when is Dave Chappelle getting his own breakfast cereal, possibly inspired by Half Baked?)
And, of course, it gets even better when Morgan Freeman lets loose a bit and gets to step outside his sphere of overt politeness and reverence. Not that he's always played expletive-free characters across his decades-spanning career, but for all the silver-tongued characters that Freeman has portrayed, only a relative handful were known for their four-letter-word usage.
For those who weren't able to watch the video in full, here's what Morgan Freeman got to say for the stand-up trailer.
This is Dave. He tells jokes for a living. Hopefully he makes people laugh. But these days, it's a high stakes game. Hmm. How did we get here, I wonder. I don't mean that metaphorically. I'm really asking. How did Dave get here? I mean, what the fuck is this? But what do I know? I'm just Morgan Freeman. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you say anything, you risk everything. But if that's the way it's gotta be, okay, fine, fuck it. Haha. He's back, folks.
We probably can't expect to see Morgan Freeman actually showing up during the stand-up special, although it's technically a possibility, considering nothing from the set itself was revealed. But fans can definitely count on witnessing Chappelle bringing more of his unique sensibilities and opinions to the stage.
Considering the title, as well as Freeman's point about risking everything, this special might be the comedian's most politically relevant act yet. Unless it's just Dave Chappelle standing there making obviously empty claims, such as "Terry Crews is boring," or "there aren't enough streaming services yet."
Dave Chappelle has been touring pretty extensively since returning to the comedy world following his self-imposed exile. In the past year, he's hit the road with former Daily Show frontman Jon Stewart, giving fans the Half Baked reunion they didn't know they needed. (On weeeeed.) Plus, Chappelle will be recognized as the recipient of the 22nd annual Mark Twain Prize for his many achievements in the world of comedy, both on the stage and off. That special will be aired on PBS in January.
Since opening its original programming doors to stand-up a few years ago, Netflix has become a top-tier destination for comedy specials of all kinds. This month alone, the service boasts the standalone specials Sebastian Maniscalco: Why Would You Do That (August 6) and Simon Amstell: Set Free (August 20), as well as the stand-up collection series Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready (August 13), which sees the hilarious Haddish curating a group of comics such as Last Comic Standing's April Macie and The Last O.G.'s Tracey Ashley.
With lots of other great Netflix programming on the way both in August and during the rest of 2019, the streaming service will debut Dave Chappelle's Sticks & Stones on Tuesday, August 26, at 12:01 a.m. PT.
