“Moonrise Kingdom” stars Bill Murray and Bruce Willis are getting together to “Rock the Kasbah.”
The duo will be joined by an all star cast including Kate Hudson, Danny McBride, Shia LaBeouf and Zooey Deschanel in the comedy to be directed by Barry Levinson (“Rain Man,” “Diner”).
“Kasbah” centers on Richie Vance, a band manager abandoned in Kabul after a failed USO tour. There, he discovers a gifted young girl whom he then coaches through “Afghan Star,” Afghanistan’s version of “American Idol.”
Mitch Glazer (who co-wrote Murray’s 1988 hit “Scrooged”) penned the screenplay and will produce along with QED”s Bill Block, Venture Forth”s Jacob Pechenik, and Shangri-La Entertainment”s Steve Bing. Brian Grazer and Tom Freston will Executive Produce. Open Road Films have acquired the U.S. distribution rights for the film.
“We were blown away by the script for ‘Rock the Kasbah,'” OpenRoad CEO Ortenberg said in a press release. “We are thrilled to re-team with Bill Block and his team at QED and looking forward to working with legendary filmmaker Barry Levinson and this incredible ensemble cast led by the one and only Bill Murray.”
“With its brilliant script, superb cast and Barry Levinson at the helm, ‘Rock the Kasbah’ promises to be a true comedy event on a global scale,” added Block. “Open Road”s proven track record with so many different genres makes them a perfect home for this unique project, and we couldn”t be more excited to continue the relationship with Tom and his team.”
Production will start in June 2014.
Murray can currently be seen in George Clooney’s “The Monuments Men,” and will soon be seen in Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” Willis will next star in “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.”