Watch out, Keke Palmer and SZA’s upcoming buddy comedy has expanded its star-studded cast, and they aren’t playing with this lineup.
Above the line, the untitled film is produced by Sony’s TriStar Pictures and MACRO Film Studios. Issa Rae leads the production team. Syreeta Singleton, showrunner of “Rap Sh!t,” is the writer, and Lawrence Lamont directs. It sounds like they’re about to have great creative chemistry on this one.
Get this: Deadline Hollywood reports that the cast now includes Lil Rel Howery, Katt Williams, Janelle James, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Maude Apatow, and Keyla Monterroso Mejia. Joshua Neal, Patrick Cage, and Aziza Scott have also joined this intriguing ensemble.
Despite the lineup, the plot details remain closely guarded but promise to be a goodie with laughs and surprises.
The project originated from the CoCre lab at Sony Pictures, a collaboration between ColorCreative and Sony aimed at identifying and nurturing emerging, diverse screenwriters to develop their first studio feature based on original concepts. That is exactly what the industry needs: original ideas from diverse upcoming filmmakers. Period.
As previously stated in earlier Deadline reporting: “The project came together from the CoCre lab at Sony Pictures with plot details being kept under wraps. The lab was a previous pact between ColorCreative and Columbia Pictures to source and incubate emerging, diverse screenwriters to develop and write their first studio feature based on original ideas.”
Who’s who is making this one? As mentioned, Rae and Sara Diya Rastogi are producing through Hoorae, with Deniese Davis producing through ColorCreative. Charles D. King, James Lopez, and Poppy Hanks produce via Macro Film Studios, while Keke and Sharon Palmer are executive producers through Big Boss. Singleton is serving as co-producer.
We’re just curious to see SZA acting under the bright lights with all these fantastic actors from what’s bound to be a great script. Good for her!
