The Underdoggs - What We Know So Far
Legendary recording artist Snoop Dogg is getting back into the filmmaking game with the upcoming film, "The Underdoggs." Snoop will star in and produce the film, marking a return to the medium for the artist, who had previously produced the films "The Wash," "Boss'n Up," "Hood of Horror," and "Down for Life," all of which he also starred in (via IMDb).
Snoop has a very impressive acting resume as well, having appeared in cult classics such as "Half Baked" and "Bones," franchise blockbusters such as "Starsky and Hutch" and "Pitch Perfect 2," plus even animated fare like "Turbo" and "The Addams Family" films. In addition, Snoop has guested on television shows, appeared in documentaries and video games, and dabbled in professional wrestling for both WWE and AEW. Here's what we know about the new film, "The Underdoggs," which is being sold as youth football by way of "The Bad News Bears."
What is the plot of The Underdoggs?
According to Deadline, "The Underdoggs" is about a disgraced former NFL star (Snoop Dogg) who takes up coaching a youth football team in order to avoid prison time after getting into some legal trouble. However, most of the plot details beyond that are being kept under wraps.
The film is being described as a youth football-themed take on "The Bad News Bears." One of the most inappropriate PG-rated movies of all time, "The Bad News Bears" was a 1976 film starring Walter Matthau, which was later remade in 2005 with Billy Bob Thornton. Both of those films follow a once-promising professional baseball player who squandered their career and succumbed to alcoholism; there are some differences between both versions of the protagonist, but Matthau and Thornton's characters end up coaching a little league baseball team of misfits to success while redeeming themselves in the process. The original classic underdog story is pointed to as one of the great sports comedies of our time, even by filmmakers like Kevin Smith.
Who is starring in The Underdoggs?
According to Deadline, Snoop Dogg will star in "The Underdoggs" as Jaycen "2J's" Jenning, the ex-NFL standout coaching youth football to avoid serving time behind bars. He will be starring alongside Tika Sumpter, Mike Epps, Andrew Schulz, and George Lopez. The kids cast in the film are relative newcomers consisting of Jonigan Booth, Adan James Carrillo, Kylah Davila, Caleb Dixon, Alexander Michael Gordon, and Shamori Washington.
Sumpter recently starred in 2022's "Sonic the Hedgehog 2," and she shared the screen with frequent Snoop collaborator Ice Cube in the 2014 film "Ride Along." Epps starred alongside Snoop on the 2012 comedy "Mac & Devin Go to High School" and the 2016 horror spoof "Meet the Blacks," both of which Snoop executive produced. He is best known for his collaborations with Ice Cube in "Next Friday," "Friday after Next," and "All About the Benjamins." Schulz created and starred in the 2020 Netflix series "Schulz Saves America." Lopez is an extremely popular stand-up comedian who has appeared in dozens of films. He was also the host of the TBS late-night talk show "Lopez Tonight" and created and appeared in the long-running sitcom "George Lopez."
What's the release date of The Underdoggs?
Per Deadline, "The Underdoggs" has a theatrical release date of October 20, 2023, and is currently filming. The movie will be produced by MGM, which has recently entered deals with Amazon Prime and is set to turn the streaming platform Epix into MGM+. The film is being produced by Snoop Dogg under his Death Row Pictures production company. Snoop's longtime producing partner Constance Schwartz-Morini is also producing the new film.
According to The Numbers, "The Underdoggs" will have to compete at the box office with Sony/Marvel's "Kraven the Hunter," 20th Century Studio's "True Love," Nickelodeon's "Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie," Universal's "Exorcist" Reboot, and the new "Saw" sequel, all of which have wide releases in October of 2023. At the moment, there aren't any other films specifically scheduled for an October 20 release next year, though that could always change as we get closer to that date.
Who is writing and directing The Underdoggs?
Multi-talented director Charles Stone III will direct "The Underdoggs." Among other projects, the former music video director has helmed the feature films "Drumline," Paid in Full," "Mr. 3000," "Uncle Drew," and "Step Sisters." He also directed and starred in the iconic late-'90s/early-2000s "Whassuuuppp" commercials for Budweiser. The beer commercials were based on his earlier short film "True."
Stone has also had a prominent television directing career, notably helming a 2007 episode of "Friday Night Lights" entitled "Extended Families," according to his IMDb page. Along with his sports film pedigree, directing an episode of the high school football TV series should prepare him to lead the upcoming youth football comedy.
The movie is being written by the duo of Danny Segal and Isaac Schamis, both of which have written for the television series "Grown-ish" and "#BlackAF." "The Underdoggs" will be their feature film debut as writers.