“The Valet” is switching distributors.
The upcoming comedy starring Eugenio Derbez of “Guidelines Not Included” fame was initially set up for release by Lionsgate. It’s been offered to the Walt Disney Company, which will deliver it locally on Hulu in summer 2022. “The Valet” will be released internationally on Disney Plus as a Star Original.
The film is an English-language remake of a French film of a similar name. It is directed by Richard Wong (“Come as You Are”) and co-stars Samara Weaving (“Ready or Not”).
The cast additionally includes Max Greenfield, Betsy Brandt, Marisol Nichols, Noemi Gonzalez, Carmen Salinas, Ravi Patel, Tiana Okoye, Diany Rodriguez, Armando Hernández, Carlos Santos, Amaury Nolasco, John Pirucello and Alex Fernandez. Reggaeton whiz Lunay will make his film acting debut.
Weaving plays Olivia, a famous actor who enrolls Antonio (Derbez), a parking valet, to act like her darling to cover for a relationship with a married man (Greenfield). As a valet, the dedicated Antonio normally flies under the radar, however his ploy with Olivia pushes him into the spotlight and carries him to see himself more plainly than any time in recent memory.
“The Valet” is written by Rob Greenberg and Bob Fisher, who recently worked with Derbez’s “Overboard,” a remake of the Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell satire which took in $95 million around the world. Derbez and his producing partner Ben Odell will produce “The Valet” through their 3Pas Studios banner.
“’The Valet’ is a multi-generational, multi-cultural comedy in which people from two different worlds discover the humanity in each other. At 3Pas Studios we tell stories that try to unite us all and we love partnering with Hulu and Disney Plus to bring this to the largest global audience possible,” said Derbez and Odell in a joint statement.
Hulu has moved all the more aggressively into the first film space as competition heats in the streaming business from new participants like Paramount Plus and HBO Max. Last year it delivered the Andy Samberg comedy “Palm Springs,” as well as “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” which procured an Oscar nomination for Andra Day.