Oscar-nominated actor Emma Stone and comedy stalwart Jonah Hill are officially crossing over to the small screen.

Stone – who made her name in the Spiderman sequels and as Woody Allen’s latest ingenue – has been announced as a lead in the upcoming dark TV comedy Maniac.

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Stone played Spiderman’s love interest in two sequels. Photo: Getty

The show will be Stone’s first lead TV credit and producer credit, joining ex-Superbad co-star Hill and True Detective director Cary Fukunaga on the project, which is as yet unattached to any networks or streamers.

Funny, beautiful and most importantly, accessible, movie producers will likely be in mourning over the news another bankable star has been lost to the small screen (for now).

Everyday loser/Fantasy hero

Echoing a strong trend in the TV business, Deadline reported Maniac will be a remake of an earlier, Norwegian series of the same name.

The original Maniac trailer (which you can watch below with English subtitles) depicts a mental patient convinced he’s living a life of heroism and intrigue, as opposed to the mundane reality of an insane asylum.

Jonah Hill most recently appeared in the Coen Brothers film Hail, Caesar!. Photo: Getty

Stone and Hill will both play mental patients in the series, with Hill assumedly taking the male lead role of ‘Espen’.

With the tagline ‘Everyday loser/Fantasy hero’, the Norwegian version of the show treads the line between dark drama and comedy – something both Stone and Hill are known for doing in Hollywood.

As a comedic actress, Stone has proved herself with big hits Superbad and Crazy Stupid Love, while bringing out the big guns with her Oscar-nominated turn in Birdman.

Similarly, Hill has left his stoner-comedy reputation behind with hard-hitting roles in Moneyball and The Wolf of Wall Street. 

Reports speculate the series is likely to be of interest to streaming giant Netflix, particularly as director Fukunaga recently completed Netflix original film Beasts of No Nation.

Hollywood stars ditch the big screen

Even traditional movie star Robert De Niro has crossed over. Photo: Getty

This may be only a brief foray into the world of TV for Stone, who has musical drama La La Land with Crazy Stupid Love co-star Ryan Gosling coming out later this year.

But the switch reflects a continued trend in show business, where TV series are increasingly providing the star quality of big-screen productions.

Matthew McConaughey made a seriously successful medium switch with his role in True Detective, while Nicole Kidman will soon appear in the intriguing mystery Big Little Lies and Bill Murray stars in small-town drama Oliver Kitteridge.

That’s not to mention a further swathe of film stars including Halle Berry, Robert De Niro, Paul Giamatti and Maggie Gylenhaal who are all taking to the small screen this year.

A Maniac production date has not yet been announced, with producers still on the hunt for a series writer.