Alan Ritchson, Kevin James to Co-Star in PLAYDATE: ‘A Ton of Heart’
By Movieguide® Contributor
REACHER’s Alan Ritchson and THE KING OF QUEENS frontman Kevin James will star together in the upcoming action-comedy PLAYDATE.
Per Collider, “The movie chronicles the story of Brian (James), a man facing hard times who has recently lost his job and finds himself thrust into the role of a full-time dad to his 10-year-old son. On his first day in this new role, he agrees to a playdate with Jeff (Ritchson), another dad who spends his days at home and surprisingly turns out to be a wild card. The pair of dads and their sons end up spending the day evading a dangerous conspiracy.”
Ritchson shared the news on social media. “I’ve wanted to return to comedy for a few years now and have been looking high and low for the right script,” he wrote. “I’m happy to say, not only did the perfect screenplay find me, but I get to partner with comedic legend @kevinjamesofficial and filmmaker extraordinaire @mr.lukeg.”
“This is gonna be a fun one – a buddy action comedy with unexpected twists and turns, vibrant characters and a ton of heart,” Ritchson concluded.
The film will be directed by Luke Greenfield (THE GIRL NEXT DOOR) and written by Neil Goldman (SHRINKING).
“Greenfield’s WideAwake Pictures’ and Jason Benoit will produce with Mark Fasano of Nickel City Pictures, Jeffrey Greenstein of A Higher Standard and Sean Patrick O’Reilly,” Deadline reported.
“I couldn’t be more excited to see such an incredible team come together for PLAYDATE,” Fasano said. “Alan and Kevin are such a great duo and their chemistry in such a short time is something you can only hope for. Luke has proved time and time again to deliver high-concept comedies that are grounded yet relatable. I can’t remember the last time we had such a great, laugh-out-loud comedy, and I know PLAYDATE will deliver.”
“PLAYDATE has everything audiences crave–a witty script, a passionate and brilliant director, and our talented cast,” Greenstein added. “Finding the right actor for the right role is crucial to the DNA of any project and in this case, Alan and Kevin are so creatively perfect–individually and together–that they will bring life to the characters in fun ways,”
“MIDNIGHT RUN has always been one of my favorite films and this is a great opportunity to reach for that magic,” Greenfield commented. “Neil has written an action-comedy that’s all about grounded, relatable characters and their relationships, and that’s the type of film we’re all dying to see again. And this duo of Alan & Kevin is going to capture that magic. This film came together so perfectly because of Mark, Jeffrey and Dan, and that’s a beautiful, rare thing these days.”
Ritchson’s most recent project, ORDINARY ANGELS, landed in theaters on Feb. 23. Part of Movieguide®’s review reads:
ORDINARY ANGELS is a very exciting, heartrending movie. The movie opens with a little baby girl being born to Ed Schmitt and his wife. Regrettably, some three years later, the mother dies. Then, Ed finds out his young daughter, Michelle, is dying of a failing kidney. Sharon, a woman with low self-esteem and a drinking problem working in a local beauty shop, decides to help. She holds a fundraiser for Michelle and helps Ed with his hospital bills, but Ed doesn’t trust her. Things come to a head when Ed tries to rush Michelle to a hospital in a blizzard to get her a kidney transplant.
ORDINARY ANGELS is a very exciting movie. It’s also extremely heartrending because it shows many people volunteering to help this little girl. Even the television station in the small community helps and asks people for prayer. Frankly, very few movies have so well integrated Christian faith, values and entertainment together like ORDINARY ANGELS. That said, MOVIEGUIDE® suggests light caution for younger children because of the mother’s death and moments where the little girl vomits blood.
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