EXCLUSIVE: Following the success of Happy Gilmore 2 and with The Naked Gun making its return to theaters this weekend, the comedy genre is looking to make a big comeback — and that goes for the marketplace as well as another big comedy package has found a home. Sources tell Deadline that following a big bidding war, Universal Pictures has landed the family comedy Dance Parents, with Charlize Theron and Channing Tatum on board to produce and develop as a starring vehicle for the pair.
Jonathan Levine is attached to direct and produce as well. Meghan Malloy is attached to pen the script.
Insiders say the project is in early development. Insiders close to the auction say the project drew a number of suitors before landing at Universal.
Theron will produce with her partners Beth Kono and AJ Dix through their Secret Menu first-look deal with Universal Pictures alongside Matt Maher and Drue Robertson of Secret Menu. Tatum will produce with his partners Reid Carolin and Peter Kiernan through their Free Association company alongside Eve Brigham and Garret Levitz overseeing for FA. Jonathan Levine will produce with Gillian Bohrer through Megamix.
SVP Production Development Ryan Jones and Director of Production Development Christine Sun will oversee the project for Universal.
Plot details are unknown, but given the title one can guess Dance Parents will be set the world of young competitive dancers and their super-passionate parents. The pic marks a dancing reunion for the two stars, who first paired up on a dance floor together at the 2013 Academy Awards when Theron and Tatum danced onstage together. The world of dance is nothing new to Tatum, who not only add his breakout role in the dance drama Step Up but also had a star-making role for a different style of dance in the Magic Mike franchise.
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This also marks a reunion for Theron and Levine in the comedy world, who worked together on the 2019 political comedy Long Shot.
Free Association is currently producing a feature film and corresponding docuseries on the famed Isle of Man TT Race for Amazon. In 2024, FA produced Zoe Kravitz’s directorial debut, Blink Twice, released theatrically by Amazon MGM. FA also produced the critically embraced MGM film, Dog, co-directed by Tatum and Carolin, who also wrote the script. Despite being released theatrically in February 2022 during Covid, DOG became one of the biggest surprise box office hits that year grossing over $85 million with a budget of $15 million.
Upcoming Secret Menu projects include the Netflix original thriller Apex, starring Theron and Taron Egerton and written by Jeremy Robbins with Baltasar Kormákur directing; a limited series adaptation of horror novel The Quiet Tenant with Blumhouse, written by Anthony E. Zuiker; Jane, a psychological thriller feature loosely based on the life of prolific science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, being written by Jack Thorne and to be directed by Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón; and Two for the Money, a love letter to the heist-film genre directed by Justin Lin, written by Dan Mazeau and starring Theron.
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Levine recently wrapped production on the sports pic Mr. Irrelevant starring Superman star David Corenswet. Malloy was a writer on the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Vivo for Sony Pictures Animation.
Theron is represented by CAA and Hansen Jacobson Teller. Tatum is represented by CAA and Hansen Jacobson, Teller. Levine is represented by WME and Goodman Genow Schenkman. Malloy is represented by Sugar23 and Hansen Jacobson Teller.