The fictional pop rock group from Tom Hanks’ film “That Thing You Do!,” The Wonders, is getting the band back together for the first time in 20 years.
The stars of Hanks’ 1996 film, including Liv Tyler and band members Tom Everett Scott, Johnathon Schaech, Ethan Embry and Steve Zahn, will reunite as part of a live event that will be streamed to the band’s YouTube channel, which was launched last week.
The event will take place Friday, April 17 at 4 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST, and the cast will conduct a commentary meant to raise funds for the charity MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, which goes to support musicians and touring professionals out of work due to the coronavirus.
The Wonders — or as fans of the film will know them as The One’ders — are also dedicating the event to Adam Schlesinger, who died last week due to complications from the coronavirus. Schlesinger, who was a singer-songwriter with Fountains of Wayne and a music collaborator on “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” wrote the title song “That Thing You Do!” and was nominated for an Oscar for his work.
“We haven’t all been together for over 20 years, and wanted to put this together to honor Adam Schlesinger’s gift to us all through his music,” Embry said in a tweet Monday. “That’s why we chose @MusiCares to bring attention for all they do for working musicians in times like now. This will be a lot of fun!!”
Hanks’ film, which he wrote, directed and starred in, is set in 1964 and follows a Beatles-esque band called The Wonders that rockets to fame after recording a one-hit-wonder pop song. Hanks plays the band’s manager, Scott is the charismatic drummer and star of the film Guy Patterson, and Zahn, Schaech and Embry respectively play Lenny, Jimmy and “The Bass Player.” “That Thing You Do!” also co-stars Liv Tyler, Giovanni Ribisi and Charlize Theron.
Schaech was one of the many to post a tribute to Schlesinger last week, saying in a tweet, “#Adamschlesinger died today because of the #coronavirus WE all are sad. You were the talent, Adam! RIP. Our hearts are broken in a million pieces.”
Keep an eye on The Wonders YouTube channel here.