Channing Tatumis set to star in Disney’s long-gestating musical comedyBob the Musical, Collider has learned.
Allan Loeb(Rock of Ages) wrote a draft of the script, which follows a regular guy who can suddenly hear the inner songs of everyone’s heart after suffering a blow to the head. His reality instantly becomes a musical, much to his dismay.
Bob the Musicalhas been in development since 2004 and over the past decade, several filmmakers have circled the project includingPhil LordandChris MillerandHairspray’sAdam Shankman.Tripp VinsonandBeau Flynnare producingBob the MusicalwithChris Benderof Good Fear, alongside Tatum and his company, Free Association, and partnersReid CarolinandPeter Kiernan.
Tatum hasn’t appeared in a live-action movie since theKingsmansequel in 2017, having lent his voice to the animated moviesSmallfootandThe Lego Movie 2in recent years. He also produced Netflix’s addiction drama6 BalloonsstarringDave FrancoandAbbi Jacobson.
Following a long stint at UTA, Tatum has been with CAA for the past year, and the agency has been getting Tatum jobs over the past few months. The21Jump Streetstar has long wanted to direct, and he recently signed on to make his directorial debut with the road trip comedyDog, in which he’ll play a former Army Ranger paired with a dog named Lulu. He’s also set to star in the romantic dramaSoundtrack of Silence, which reunites him with the writer and producing team behind his 2010 hitDear John. I’ve also heard that Tatum is being eyed to star in Universal’s monster movieRenfieldfrom directorDexter Fletcher, but that remains but a rumor for now.
Tatum is no stranger to dancing his way through a musical number, having starred twoStep Upmovies and twoMagic Mikemovies, not to mention the Coen brothers' period comedyHail, Caesar!, in which he performed the song “No Dames!” Tatum had been developing an original musical titledWingmenthat was to pair him with fellow song-and-dance manJoseph Gordon-Levitt, but it’s unclear what the status of that project is, or whether it will ever make its way to the big screen. In the meantime,Bob the Musicalwill have to do, and Tatum may very well be a better fit for the material thanTom Cruise, who was previously eyed to star.
As a producer, Tatum is developing an adaptation ofSam Kieth’s cult comicThe Maxx, and to read more about that project,click here.
