It looks like Dave Chappelle: The Closer wasn't the comic's final comedy special for Netflix, after all. Following that controversial showing from the performer, Chappelle is back with a new stand-up special for the streaming platform, dubbed Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer.
Along with The Age of Spin, Deep in the Heart of Texas, Equanimity, The Bird Revelation and Sticks & Stones, The Dreamer marks the seventh collaboration between the comedian and Netflix, following a $20-million-per-release deal that Chappelle signed in 2016.
The new stand-up special will be available to stream on Netflix globally beginning Monday, December 31. The nearly hourlong performance sees the Emmy- and Grammy-winning icon return to his hometown of Washington, D.C., with filming taking place at the historic Lincoln Theatre and directed by Chappelle's long-time collaborator Stan Lathan, who worked on all of the comedian's previous Netflix specials.
Per the official logline from Netflix: "From his onstage tackle to the slap heard round the world, Dave Chappelle lets loose in this freewheeling and unfiltered stand-up comedy special." The "onstage tackle" references a May 2022 incident when a man rushed the stage and tackled the comic during his Netflix Is a Joke performance at the Hollywood Bowl in California. The "slap heard round the world," of course," alludes to the infamous Chris Rock–Will Smith slapping incident that occurred during the 94th Academy Awards in March 2022.
Chappelle introduced the much-anticipated special with a trailer on Sunday, December 24, and showed the comedian joined by screen legend Morgan Freeman. The Oscar winner uses his legendary voice to narrate the trailer: “What do you dream about? Not the ones when you go to sleep; the ones you hold in your heart. Don’t be intimidated by the audacity of your dream. Be inspired by it.”
As the trailer transitions to a scene of Chappelle and Freeman watching The Dreamer together, the Shawshank Redemption star continues: “What happens to a dream deferred? Lucky for Dave, he doesn’t know.”
Check out the official trailer for Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer above before tuning into the stand-up special on Netflix beginning on December 31.
