Previously titled Move That Body, the upcoming R-rated comedy Rock That Body, starring Scarlett Johansson, has now expanded its cast list ahead of an August production start. Zoe Kravitz had already joined Johansson on the project, and the two actresses will now appear alongside Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live), Jillian Bell (Workaholics) and Ilana Glazer (Broad City).
Details on the plot of the film are few and far between, beyond the simplest of plot outlines: five friends rent a Miami beach house for a bachelorette party and accidentally kill a male stripper. The only man currently listed in the cast is co-writer Paul W. Downs, so it could well be that he will be the one performing for the women, with fatal consequences. Downs wrote the script with Lucia Aniello, who will also direct – and the two are known for their collaboration on Broad City.
While the concept seems straightforward, this is actually a breath of fresh air in terms of movies that are in development for release in the next 24 months. Not reliant on a reboot of an existing property, Rock That Body instead takes a familiar scenario – a group kills a stripper – and turns it on its head. We have seen this scenario play out countless times in numerous movies, but always from a male perspective. The result of that is that these films immediately fall into the narrative trap of sacrificing a woman to propel the action.
But, here we have a comedy about women spending time with women, co-written by a woman, who also directs – in which they accidentally kill a man and attempt to deal with it. The reason this is refreshing, despite being a well-used trope, is that women respond to situations and stressors in different ways to the usual male portrayal – and this lends itself to greater laughs. With this cast of five talented actresses, Rock That Body has just become a must-see prospect.
