Sheridan Smith joins Hollywood stars and pop icons for new girl band movie
An all-star cast is coming together for new film from Rebel Wilson – including Mel C and Ashley Roberts.
Sheridan Smith is joining the cast of Girl Group, a new comedy written, directed, and produced by Rebel Wilson, who will also be starring. This marks Wilson second feature as director after 2024's movie musical The Deb.
While The Deb was an adaptation of the stage musical of the same name, Girl Group is set to be an original story about a pop diva (Wilson) who is booted out of her own girl group's reunion tour and whose only chance at making a comeback is by coaching a group of community service misfits for a record label audition.
This isn't Wilson's first time appearing in an underdog story about singing (see Pitch Perfect) and the project was actually initially announced back in 2019, when it had the title Seoul Girls.
Originally, the plot was going to follow a Korean-American high school girl and her attempts at success with her band (as originally reported in Deadline), but plans have changed.
Now, the film will confront the toxicity of the music industry and balance the focus between the new group and Wilson's character, a girl group veteran who has her own struggles.
As well as Wilson and Smith, a number of big names will be joining the cast including Randall Park, Jamie Lee O'Donnell, Guz Khan, Ashley Roberts of the Pussycat Dolls, Mel C of the Spice Girls, and Shaznay Lewis of All Saints.
Roberts, Mel C, Lewis, and Wilson herself will form fictional group Girlfriends, so the cast's history and experience should help give the band a touch of realism.
As for the band Wilson's character creates? Names are being kept under wraps for now, but a search was conducted nationwide throughout the US to find the new young leads.
Wilson has been involved with several musicals now, from the early days of the Pitch Perfect franchise right through to her directorial debut and she says Girl Group is specifically going to bring back some of the Pitch Perfect vibes (and not just with the alliterative title).
She said: "Ever since being a part of the Pitch Perfect franchise, I’ve always wanted to create something similar. Girl Group is just so fun and full of spirit that’s ready to have you singing and dancing out of the cinema. This is the ultimate girl power movie!"
The film is being produced by Live Nation Studios, who were behind Bradley Cooper's multi-award-winning A Star Is Born and David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream.
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