Paramount’s casting process for its “badass” and R-rated Baywatch movie has been fascinating to watch largely because it’s shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Only last week, Quantico starlet Priyanka Chopra was the latest actress to board the studio’s burgeoning ensemble piece, and now Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has formally confirmed the addition of Ilfenesh Hadera.
Announced via the actor’s ever-popular Instagram, the actress best known for her roles in Chi-Raq and HBO’s Show Me a Hero is set to play Stef, a “strong, intelligent and formidable” love interest to Johnson’s Mitch Buchannon.
Here’s the official post:
Joining a cast of budding newcomers and eye-catching stars, with Hadera’s place now a lock, Paramount’s ensemble boasts Neighbors and We Are Your Friends actor Zac Efron, Alexandra Daddario and Kelly Rohrbach in the coveted role of C.J. Parker.
With one eye firmly on Sony’s gleeful and over-the-top formula that helped propel its Jump Street reboot into a bona fide comedy franchise, Baywatch will be helmed by Horrible Bosses director Seth Gordon, and though story specifics are being kept under lock and key, the core concept is said to revolve around Efron, Johnson and Rohrbach’s lifeguards who set about thwarting construction plans that thrust their prized stretch of sand into jeopardy. Johnson will produce through his Seven Bucks banner, alongside Michael Berk, Greg Bonann, Beau Flynn, Dany Garcia, Ivan Reitman and Douglas Schwartz.
Paramount is yet to pencil Baywatch in for a release window, though we expect the studio to align Gordon’s R-rated reboot for a prime summer 2017 slot.
