The MGM Snoop Dogg sports comedy The Underdoggs has added Tika Sumpter, Mike Epps, Andrew Schulz, and George Lopez while casting the kid team of actors which includes Jonigan Booth, Adan James Carrillo, Kylah Davila, Caleb Dixon, Alexander Michael Gordon, and Shamori Washington.
Billed as The Bad News Bears in the world of Youth Football, The Underdoggs tells the story of Jaycen Jenning, “2J’s” (played by Snoop Dogg), a former NFL superstar who, after a run-in with the law, agrees to coach a youth football team in lieu of prison in the hopes of relaunching his fledgling career.
Charles Stone directs off a script by Danny Segal and Isaac Schamis based off a pitch by Snoop Dogg and Schwartz-Morini.
The pic is produced under Snoop Dogg’s Death Row Pictures banner, with Kenya Barris (Girls Trip, Black-ish) and Mychelle Deschamps for Khalabo Ink Society, Snoop Dogg’s longtime producing partner Constance Schwartz-Morini of SMAC Entertainment and Jonathan Glickman (Respect, Rush Hour) for Panoramic Media.
Production is underway for an Oct. 20, 2023 theatrical release.
Sumpter was most recently seen in-theaters reprising her role in the $402M-grossing hit sequel Sonic The Hedgehog 2, and on the small screen starring in the comedy series Mixed-ish. She also starred opposite Robert Redford in David Lowery’s The Old Man And The Gun. Sumpter received critical praise as a young Michelle Obama in the feature film Southside With You, which she co-produced with John Legend. Other feature credits include the award-winning James Brown biopic Get On Up; An Acceptable Loss, opposite Jamie Lee Curtis; the hit action-comedy franchise Ride Along, opposite Kevin Hart and Ice Cube; and Nobody’s Fool opposite Tiffany Haddish, Whoopi Goldberg and Omari Hardwick. Additional TV credits include co-starring with Queen Latifah in Bessie, which won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie, as well as Gossip Girl, The Game, The Have and The Have Nots and the Daytime Emmy Award-winning soap opera, One Life To Live, which garnered her an NAACP Image Award nomination. She is repped by UTA, Brookside Artist Management and Hansen Jacobson Teller.
Epps can currently be seen in Season 2 of the Netflix comedy The UpShaws which he stars in and produces, and The Come Up for director Sanaa Lathan on Paramount+. Other recent projects include the HBO Max series Winning Time; and the Netflix comedy special Snoop Dogg’s F*cn Around. He most recently wrapped the Sony / Marvel film Madame Web. His vast resume of series and films include Troop Zero, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Dolemite is my Name, the Emmy Winning biopic Bessie, the series Survivor’s Remorse, which he won a NAACP Image award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Jumping the Broom, which he was awarded an NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actor, the movie Sparkle opposite Whitney Houston, the film Repentance opposite Forest Whitaker and Anthony Mackie, and the Nina Simone biopic, Nina, in which he played the legendary Richard Pryor. Other feature credits include the Hangover franchise, Girls Trip Faster, Hancock, Lottery Ticket, Next Day Air, Roll Bounce, The Fighting Temptations, the Resident Evil franchise, Bait, How High, Dr.Dolittle 2, Talk to Me, Guess Who?, Next Friday, Friday after Next, and All About the Benjamins. He is represented by UTA, Niles Kirchner and Dan Spilo and attorney Todd Rubenstein.
Schulz will soon be seen in two films, a comedy starring Jonah Hill and Eddie Murphy, directed by Barris, as well as the upcoming remake of White Men Can’t Jump, starring Jack Harlow. He previously created and starred in the four-part special Schulz Saves America, taking on the year’s most divisive topics, and also starred in the series Benders, Sneaky Pete, and Crashing, as well as appearing on MTV’s Guy Code and Girl Code. He is represented by Gersh.
Lopez is currently shooting his upcoming multi-camera comedy series Lopez vs Lopez, featuring his real-life daughter Mayan Lopez, and is performing stand-up in arenas across the country on his OMG Hi! Comedy Tour, through October. Lopez will join the DC Extended Universe in the upcoming superhero film Blue Beetle, releasing in-theaters August 2023. His extensive film credits include Walking with Herb, the modern-day Western No Man’s Land, The Tax Collector, El Chicano, the romantic comedy box-office hit Valentine’s Day, The Spy Next Door, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, and Spare Parts, which he also produced. Lopez has produced and starred in the series Lopez, co-created and starred in the series Saint George, hosted TBS’ inaugural late night talk show, Lopez Tonight, and co-created, wrote, produced and starred in the hit sitcom George Lopez. He is represented by UTA.
St. Louis, Miss. native, Booth, made his showbiz debut in This Is Us. He is represented by Cheryl Martin, CMA Entertainment.
Carrillo began his career at the age of nine and has shared the screen with Robert DeNiro in About My Father, appeared in David E. Kelley’s Lincoln Lawyer, as well as As We See It from creator Jason Katims, and Mayans M.C. from creator Elgin James. The LA native is repped by Eris Talent Agency and Cohesive Entertainment Group.
Davila appeared in the pilot episode HBOMax’s Gordita Chronicles, and the short film Troop Invaders. The Underdoggs reps her first feature film role. An actor and gymnast, Davila hails from Manhattan Beach, California. She is represented by Berke Management.
Dixon started his career with some smaller roles in hip hop videos opposite artists such as Young Dro, TI, Yella Beezy and Lil Poppa. He also had a supporting role in Boosie’s feature film My Struggle, as well as a supporting role in Tyler Perry’s Ruthless. Dixon is represented by AKA Talent Agency and MVP Sports & Entertainment Management.
Gordon began his acting journey as a student in several theatre and acting classes, exploring improvisation and bringing a story to life. He is represented by Alexander White Agency.
Washington began acting when he was four years old on series such as NCIS, How To Get Away With Murder, The Mayor, Documentary Now, and will soon be seen on All American Homecoming. Washington’s national commercial campaigns include Chevrolet, Burger King and Starbucks and he has modeled extensively for H&M, Old Navy, Target, Walmart, Uniqlo, Nike and Crazy 8, to name a few. He is represented by Paloma Model And Talent, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein.
Source: Deadline
