Kevin James will co-star in the action-comedy.

THE BIG PICTURE

 Alan Ritchson stars in the upcoming action-comedy Playdate alongside Kevin James, directed by Luke Greenfield.
 The movie follows the story of two dads and their sons as they navigate a dangerous conspiracy during a playdate.
 Director Greenfield is inspired by the film Midnight Run, expressing excitement for the duo of Ritchson and James on-screen.

Reacher‘sAlan Ritchson has set his next project, starring alongside funnyman Kevin James in the action-comedy Playdate from director Luke Greenfield (The Girl Next Door). The movie chronicles the story of Brian (James), a man facing hard times who has recently lost his job and finds himself thrust into the role of a full-time dad to his 10-year-old son

On his first day in this new role, he agrees to a playdate with Jeff (Ritchson), another dad who spends his days at home and surprisingly turns out to be a wild card. The pair of dads and their sons end up spending the day evading a dangerous conspiracy. The movie begins filming next month in Canada.

Ritchson is currently wrapping production on the third season of hit Amazon show Reacher. He will next star opposite Hilary Swank in faith-based drama Ordinary Angels, set to open wide February 23rd, and Guy Ritchie World War II film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

Ritchson will also return for the next Fast and Furious film as villainous character Aimes. James is best known for his roles in CBS’ The King of Queens, Columbia Pictures’ Paul Blart: Mall Cop, and Here Comes the Boom with Salma Hayek and Henry Winkler.

“I couldn’t be more excited to see such an incredible team come together for Playdate. Alan and Kevin are such a great duo and their chemistry in such a short time is something you can only hope for.

Luke has proved time and time again to deliver high-concept comedies that are grounded yet relatable. I can’t remember the last time we had such a great, laugh-out-loud comedy, and I know Playdate will deliver,” said Fasano.

‘Playdate’ is Inspired by ‘Midnight Run’

Director Greenfield also commented, remarking on the inspiration behind the film and speaking of his excitement at seeing the combination of Ritchson and James on-screen together.

Playdate has everything audiences crave- a witty script, a passionate and brilliant director, and our talented cast. Finding the right actor for the right role is crucial to the DNA of any project and in this case, Alan and Kevin are so creatively perfect – individually and together – that they will bring life to the characters in fun ways.

Midnight Run has always been one of my favorite films and this is a great opportunity to reach for that magic. Neil has written an action-comedy that’s all about grounded, relatable characters and their relationships, and that’s the type of film we’re all dying to see again. And this duo of Alan & Kevin is going to capture that magic. This film came together so perfectly because of Mark, Jeffrey and Dan, and that’s a beautiful, rare thing these days,

Playdate doesn’t have a release date yet, but stay tuned to Collider for further details. In the meantime, catch Ritchson in the first two seasons of Reacher, streaming now on Prime Video.