Vince Vaughn To Topline Stephen Chbosky Comedy ‘Nonnas’; Susan Sarandon, Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, Brenda Vaccaro & Linda Cardellini Among Others Set

Matt Grobar
·5 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Vince Vaughn (Bad Monkey) will topline Nonnas, an original comedy that Stephen Chbosky (Wonder) has been tapped to direct for Fifth Season (80 for Brady), 1Community (Just Mercy) and Madison Wells (The Eyes of Tammy Faye).

Among those joining Vaughn in the film, which wrapped production last month in New Jersey, are Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon (Blue Beetle) and Academy Award nominees Lorraine Bracco (Goodfellas), Talia Shire (Megalopolis) and Brenda Vaccaro (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood). Others in the cast include Emmy nominee Linda Cardellini (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Emmy winner Drea De Matteo (The Sopranos), Joe Manganiello (The Kill Room), Michael Rispoli (Power Book III: Raising Kanan) and Campbell Scott (Jurassic World Dominion).

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Written by Liz Maccie (Siren, A Loud House Christmas), Nonnas is based on the true story of Brooklyn native Joe Scaravella (Vaughn), who, after losing his beloved mother, realizes he’s wasted time as a single man at a dead-end job and yearns for a second chance at life. Motivated by his Italian mother’s love of cooking, but with no culinary experience and dwindling funds, he opens a restaurant unlike any other by hiring the most unlikely team of chefs — one consisting of grandmothers.

Italian nonnas make their Sunday dinners every day of the week (except Christmas and Easter) for anyone who needs to feel at home. Joe finds a new purpose, community and love interest (Cardellini) in the process, and, along with the nonnas, discovers it’s never too late to start again.

Nonnas reunites Fifth Season and 1Community following their work together on the NAACP Image Award-winning Bryan Stevenson biopic Just Mercy, starring Michael B. Jordan. In partnership with Maccie, Madison Wells and Boat Rocker’s Matador Content began developing the project after purchasing Scaravella’s life rights.

Fifth Season is co-financing the film with 1Community and Madison Wells, with Madison Wells producing alongside Boat Rocker’s Matador Content (Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields). Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane are producing for Madison Wells, alongside Jack Turner for Matador Content. Scott Budnick and Ameet Shukla are exec producing for 1Community, with executive Gabby Nowack overseeing. Also on board to exec produce are Vaughn, as well as Jay Peterson and Todd Lubin for Matador Content. Fifth Season and WME are repping worldwide distribution rights.

Accompanying the release of Nonnas will be a social impact campaign put on by the production and co-finance company 1Community, which will aim to protect and strengthen “the programs that help us age well.”

Recently wrapping production on the Apple TV+ drama series Bad Monkey from Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence, Vaughn is next set to star alongside Al Pacino, Michelle Monaghan and Simon Rex in the drama Easy’s Waltz from True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto. Other upcoming projects for the actor include Legendary’s live-action/animation hybrid Animal Friends with Ryan Reynolds, Jason Momoa and Aubrey Plaza, and a sequel to his 2004 comedy Dodgeball now in development, as we were first to report.

Most recently appearing in the multi-generational rom-com Maybe I Do and on Fox’s Monarch, Sarandon will next be seen in Marvel’s Blue Beetle and Tyler Perry’s Netflix WWII pic Six Triple Eight.

Known for iconic roles in Goodfellas, The Sopranos and more, Bracco will be seen coming up in the David Henrie film Boys of Summer with Mel Gibson and the thriller Rich Flu with Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

An alum of the Rocky and Godfather franchises, Shire is part of the ensemble of Francis Ford Coppola’s self-financed, forthcoming epic, Megalopolis.

Previously seen in films ranging from Midnight Cowboy to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Vaccaro was most recently on Max’s And Just Like That….

Cardellini starred opposite Christina Applegate on the recently wrapped Netflix series Dead to Me and was most recently seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Best known for her role as Adriana La Cerva on The Sopranos, De Matteo’s recent credits include A Million Little Things and Shades of Blue.

Seen of late in Magic Mike’s Last Dance and on series like Mythic Quest and Moonhaven, Manganiello will next be seen in the thriller The Kill Room with Samuel L. Jackson, Maya Hawke and Uma Thurman.

An alum of films like The Rum Diary, While You Were Sleeping and Kick-Ass, Rispoli’s recent credits include the series Power Book III: Raising Kanan, The Offer and The Deuce.

Perhaps best known for a weighty role on Netflix’s House of Cards, Scott’s recent credits include Jurassic World Dominion, WeCrashed and Billions.

The writer and director of the acclaimed films Dear Evan Hansen, Wonder and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, who also exec produced the latter, Chbosky additionally contributed to the scripts for Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast and Rent, and co-created CBS’ Jericho.

Vaughn is represented by WME, Range Media Partners and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Sarandon by UTA; Bracco by A3 Artists Agency and Circle of Confusion; Shire by Sovereign Talent Group; Vaccaro by Arlene Thornton & Associates; Cardellini by CAA, Mosaic and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; De Matteo by Untitled Entertainment; Manganiello by CAA and Myman Greenspan Fox; Rispoli by Gersh and Principal Entertainment LA; Scott by CAA and KMR Talent; Chbosky by WME and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller; and Maccie by Gersh, Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment and Hansen, Jacobsen, Teller.

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