Kevin Hart Checks In To Universal’s Night School

Universal’s upcoming action-comedy Night School has found its heart.

That’s Kevin Hart, star of Central Intelligence and the Ride Along series, who has entered negotiations to co-write, produce and headline the pic as an imbecile forced to return to the unforgiving world of education to attain his GED exam. Think Billy Madison with a modern twist and you’ll begin to get a sense of what Universal has in store.

To date, the project has attracted Tim Story (Ride Along) to direct, with Harry Ratchford, Joey Wells, Matt Kellard and Hart himself all poised to leverage script duties between them. THR’s report also credits Nick Stoller as one of the screenwriters who’s enrolled in Night School.

As for the elevator pitch, we understand Tim Story’s romp follows “a group of misfits who are forced to attend adult classes in the long-shot chance they’ll pass the GED exam.” On paper, it’s smack bang in Kevin Hart’s wheelhouse, who has displayed a bankable knack for riotous comedy in everything from Think Like a Man to the aforementioned Central Intelligence, where his straight-laced pencil-pusher was paired with Dwayne Johnson’s hulking CIA agent to remarkable effect. Indeed, Rawson Marshall Thurber’s actioner went on to score over $200 million worldwide, thereby warranting chatter of a sequel, so it’s no surprise that Universal wants to tap into a similar market with Night School.

Negotiations between Kevin Hart and the studio are ongoing, mind you, but now that Tim Story has been appointed at the helm, we fully expect a release date to be unveiled sooner rather than later. Watch this space for more.