Paul Rudd is set to go toe to toe, voice to voice, with Nick Jonas for John Carney‘s latest musical.
Carney’s “Power Ballad” stars Rudd and Jonas as two very different types of musicians: One is a wedding singer while the other is a rock star, and while the casting details over which actor is playing which character haven’t been confirmed, Jonas’ real-life rock star status must be influencing his performance.
Carney recently helmed “Flora and Son” and is set to direct the upcoming musical comedy that he cowrote with Peter McDonald. Principal photography began in Dublin at the end of April, with the feature billed as “an uplifting music-driven story about a wedding singer, a rock star, and the song that comes between them.”
30WEST will finance the film, alongside Screen Ireland, and executive produce. Anthony Bregman and Peter Cron will produce for Likely Story with Robert Walpole and Rebecca O’Flanagan for Treasure Entertainment, and Carney, all of whom produced Carney’s most recent film, “Flora and Son,” for Apple TV+.
“I’m delighted to be working with so many great people,” Carney said in a press statement. “I’ve been working on this script with my buddy Peter for years, and now Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas are in my kitchen.”
30WEST, WME Independent, and UTA Independent Film Group will represent the domestic sales on the title, with WME Independent handling the international rights beginning at the Cannes Film Festival.
“We are so excited to bring John Carney’s next film to Cannes,” Alex Walton of WME said. “John has a magic ability to weave great music into wonderfully engaging and universally relatable stories that make audience emotions run high. ‘Power Ballad’ is fun and heartwarming – themes that audiences crave today. His unique vision, coupled with the global appeal of Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas, will give buyers exactly what they’re looking for.”
Rudd recently starred in “Only Murders In The Building” and “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” and will appear in indie films “Death of a Unicorn” and “Friendship.” Meanwhile, Jonas made his debut as a lead actor in “The Good Half” after supporting roles in the “Jumanji” franchise, among other films.
Director Carney recently spoke to IndieWire about how the current state of musicals onscreen is always shifting.
“The days of musicals being full of tons of the best songs ever, I think, are kind of past us,” Carney said. “I’d like to develop the stories and the use of music. So that it isn’t anymore just about atmosphere and fun or the best song ever, but it’s about [the fact that] music can be the worst thing for some people in life. Music can be a saving thing. Music can be a disaster for relationships. Music can be in a wake when somebody dies. It can be at a wedding. It can be a lullaby to get your kid to go to sleep. It doesn’t just have to be Judy Garland or winning Grammys or ‘A Star Is Born’ type stuff.”
