Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas will headline Power Ballad, a musical comedy from Once director John Carney. It’s in production now.
Once director John Carney’s next film is Power Ballad, a musical comedy which will follow “the story of a wedding singer (Paul Rudd), a rock star (Nick Jonas), and the song that comes between them.”
Carney will direct from a screenplay he wrote with Peter McDonald.
Carney said, in a statement to Deadline, “I’m delighted to be working with so many great people. I’ve been working on this script with my buddy Peter for years, and now Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas are in my kitchen.”
The film is set to be one of the main attractions at the market at this year’s Cannes film festival. Carney was attached to direct a biopic of The Bee Gees, he stepped back and was replaced by Lorene Scafaria. Earlier this year, it was confirmed that Ridley Scott will direct the film from a script by long term collaborator John Logan.
Once is one of the most enchanting films of the 21st century. Made on a shoestring budget in Dublin, the simple story revolves around the burgeoning relationship between a street busker and a shy songwriter. The magic comes from the chemistry between stars and singer songwriters Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, who perform as The Swell Season. The highlight is a sequence where they sit down at a piano in a music shop and sing Falling Slowly, the song which went on to win an Oscar.
Following the huge success of Once, which was also adapted into a stage musical, Carney made a career in feel good cinema, from Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley in Begin Again to the wonderful Sing Street. He also made two series of the sweet, sometimes saccharine but always watchable Amazon Prime anthology series Modern Love.
Filming is currently underway on Power Ballad in Dublin. We’ll keep you updated as we hear more.
