CULVER CITY, California–December 14, 2023–Today it was announced that Pete Davidson and Keke Palmer have joined the Eddie Murphy-led cast of Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming film, The Pickup. Tim Story will direct The Pickup and produce via The Story Company, alongside John Davis and John Fox via Davis Entertainment, and Eddie Murphy and Charisse Hewitt-Webster via Eddie Murphy Productions. Executive producers include The Story Company’s Vicky Mara Story, Davis Entertainment’s Jeremy Stein, and Kevin Burrows, Ross Fanger, and Matt Mider.
Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the Matt Mider and Kevin Burrows-penned film is being described as a “heist comedy.”
Davidson is currently on his 2023 stand-up tour across the U.S. and recently starred in Peacock’s Bupkis, a semi-autobiographical comedy series he also co-created, co-wrote and executive produced. Additionally, he was a cast member on NBC’s Saturday Night Live from 2014-2022, where his singular Weekend Update features and original music videos garnered millions of views. He recently returned to Studio 8H to host the 49th season premiere of “SNL,” earning rave reviews. Davidson previously co-wrote, executive produced, and starred in the critically acclaimed film The King of Staten Island. Additional film work includes Dumb Money, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Trainwreck, Big Time Adolescence, Set It Up, Meet Cute, and Bodies Bodies Bodies. Upcoming projects include The Home, Wizards!, and I Slept with Joey Ramone.
Palmer rose to prominence through her breakout role in Akeelah and the Bee at age 12 and has gone on to star in over 25 films and 30 TV shows, including Jordan Peele’s acclaimed film Nope, Roadside Attraction’s Alice, which she also executive produced, STX’s Hustlers, FOX’s Scream Queens and Nickelodeon’s True Jackson, VP. She recently launched her record-breaking podcast, Baby, This is Keke Palmer for Wondery/Amazon, and founded her own digital network, KeyTV for which she has written, produced, and starred in various original content, including her directorial debut, the short film Big Boss, accompanied by an album of the same title. Additionally, Palmer earned a 2021 Primetime Emmy Award for her self-created series, Turnt Up With the Taylors, and recently received another nomination for ‘Outstanding Host For A Game Show,’ recognizing her work hosting NBC’s reboot of Password.
This news comes closely on the heels of Prime Video’s December 1 release of Candy Cane Lane, starring and produced by Eddie Murphy. The service recently announced that the holiday comedy, which was also produced by Charisse Hewitt-Webster, was its most-watched Amazon MGM Studios-produced movie debut ever in the U.S. and among its top 10 worldwide film debuts in its first three days of release.
Davidson is represented by WME. Palmer is represented by 3 Arts, LUNA Entertainment, and Hertz Lichtenstein Young & Polk. Tim Story is represented by UTA, Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole, and The Collins Jackson Agency.
