“Shazam!” star Zachary Levi is set to star in a new comedy with “Riverdale” actor Cole Sprouse called “Undercover,” set up at Lionsgate and Mandeville Films. Levi announced the news on his Instagram on Tuesday.
“Y’all, this is gonna be a real humdinger,” Levi said on Instagram. “It’s gonna be chock full of heart, humor, and some of the most iconic tunes of the last 50 years, that I get to SING!!!”
In “Undercover,” Levi will play Jack, a down-on-his-luck rocker-turned-father, who, to make ends meet, secretly joins a group of young musicians in a wedding cover band led by misfit Ben, played by Sprouse. Things start looking up for this ragtag band, but when Jack’s secret gets revealed, he rediscovers what’s truly important in life while teaching Ben to find his own voice as a musical talent.
Steve Pink, director of “Hot Tub Time Machine” and the writer of “High Fidelity” and “Grosse Point Blank,” will direct the film. Amy Talkington wrote the screenplay with revisions by Jonathan Igla, Diablo Cody, Chris Hazzard and Michael Fontana.
Mandeville Films’ Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman will produce the project. Jonathan Levine serves as executive producer. Alex Young serves as an executive producer for Mandeville Films.
“Like ‘School of Rock’ and ‘Pitch Perfect,’ ‘Undercover’ is a movie that unites audiences with the way the cast interprets and performs familiar songs. Not only is it hilarious and charming, but it’s going to be a blast to see personalities like Zachary and Cole own their performances of so many classics,” Nathan Kahane, president of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said in a statement.
“We’re thrilled to be working with Steve Pink and reteaming with our friends at Mandeville on ‘Undercover.’ Just like they did so beautifully with ‘Wonder,’ they have a focused sense of the kind of entertainment that will connect and resonate with family audiences. Zachary and Cole are perfect for this film and their addition to our cast pumps the volume way up,” Erin Westerman, president of Motion Picture Production for the studio, said in a statement.
Levi most recently starred in “Shazam!,” which grossed $365 million worldwide, and he just wrapped production on Kevin MacDonald’s “Prisoner 760” opposite Benedict Cumberbatch and Jodie Foster.
Sprouse was most recently seen starring on the big screen in Lionsgate/CBS Films’ “Five Feet Apart,” which grossed over $90 million worldwide. He can also be seen starring on The CW’ series “Riverdale.”
Lionsgate’s Meredith Wieck and Aaron Edmonds will oversee the production for the studio, which begins this April.
Levi is represented by UTA, Untitled, and McKuin Frankel. Sprouse is represented by WME, Authentic Talent and Literary Management, and DLA Piper. Steve Pink is managed by Mosaic and he continues to be represented by UTA and Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman. Robert Melnik negotiated the deals on behalf of Lionsgate.
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