Following a heated bidding war, Universal has snatched up rights for a new, as-yet-untitled musical comedy, with The Hollywood Reporter learning that the studio has already cast two prominent stars in Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum.
Reports indicate that the concept for the new project first came to light under Gordon-Levitt, who will produce via his hitRECord Films banner. Other talent involved at this early stage include producers Marc Platt and Adam Siegel, along with Channing Tatum himself, Reid Carolin and Peter Kiernan on behalf of Free Association. Details are scarce as to which direction Universal is steering the untitled project, and whether or not it’s being eyed as a potential franchise in the vein of the studio’s lucrative Pitch Perfect.
Aside from showcasing their musical (read: miming) talents on Spike’s popular Lip Sync Battle, Gordon-Levitt and Tatum first starred opposite one another in Iraq war drama Stop-Loss in 2008. Since then, the latter has honed his dancing and indeed singing abilities across both Magic Mike films and the recently released Hail, Caesar!, with Tatum emerging as one of the key highlights from Joel and Ethan Coen’s Hollywood love letter.
As for Gordon-Levitt, Marc Webb’s (500) Days of Summer showcased some fleeting signs of the star’s vocal chords, while recent roles have included deft stunt artist Philippe Petit in The Walk and, soon, portraying Edward Snowden in Oliver Stone’s political biopic.
No word yet on a production timeline for Universal’s latest musical-comedy. What we do know is that Michael Bacall is attached to write the screenplay, and given the inherent likeability of its two leading stars, expect the studio to move quickly to fast-track the film into production.
