After a week’s worth of studios flashing their wallets around, Warner Bros. has emerged victorious in the bidding war for Calamity Hustle, an upcoming action comedy project starring Ryan Reynolds and Channing Tatum. Similar to the buddy comedies of old, like Lethal Weapon, Adam and Aaron Nee direct Calamity Hustle from their own script. Amazon, Netflix, and Warner Bros. led the pack during the bidding sessions, with WB ultimately winning the prize. Calamity Hustle is hoping to have a franchise appeal.
According to Deadline‘s exclusive report, Reynolds plays a cop estranged from his low-level criminal brother. The duo went their separate ways after growing up in a rough part of town, each with different goals. When one brother is targeted for a diamond heist, the brother who went into law enforcement must hunt him down before those he ripped off. Cameras will roll in New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, with the film’s events happening around the holiday season. Audiences can expect significant action set pieces, witty banter, and plenty of what makes a Reynolds or Tatum vehicle appealing.
Warner Bros. hopes to get the movie done for $140 million, with a figure in the $25 million range guaranteed for Reynolds and Tatum. While you’re putting your eyes back in your head after seeing the paydays for the project’s dynamic duo, that’s part of how WB won the project against other studios. Cut the check, Michigan J. Frog!
Meanwhile, Reynolds is reteaming with filmmaker Shawn Levy for a heist project at Netflix. Levy directs the untitled heist project from a script by Dana Fox (Cruella, The Lost City, How to Be Single), with a dream team assembling to produce. That team includes Reynolds, courtesy of his Maximum Effort studio, Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon via Genre Films. Ashley Fox and Johnny Pariseau join the production effort via Maximum Effort.
What do you think about the concept of Calamity Hustle? Are Ryan Reynolds and Channing Tatum a comedy duo worth watching? Could Adam and Aaron Nee be the pair to give audiences a buddy action comedy worthy of a Lethal Weapon-like legacy? Let us know in the comments section below.
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