Whoopi Goldberg, Rose Byrne, Vera Farmiga, Rainn Wilson and William Fitzgerald have signed on to join the comedic drama “Inappropriate Behavior.” Bobby Cannavale and Robert De Niro were previously announced as the star and major supporting character, respectively.
Cannavale plays Max Bernal, a late-night comedy writer who tries and fails to parlay his success into a second act as a stand-up comic. After moving in with his father Stan (De Niro), he clashes with his ex-wife Jenna (Byrne) about parenting their young son Ezra (Fitzgerald), who is on the autism spectrum. Tensions reach a boiling point when Max kidnaps Ezra to take him on a cross-country trip, to hilarious and disastrous results.
Tony Goldwyn (“Conviction”) will direct from a script by Tony Spiridakis (“Ash Tuesday”). Spiridakis was inspired by his own son who is on the spectrum, and previously wrote the 2015 short “Inappropriate Behaviors” about an autistic teen traveling across Iowa.
Principal photography is set to begin this month.
The film is produced by William Horberg on behalf of Closer Media, Jon Kilik, Spiridakis and Goldwyn. Closer Media and Wayfarer Studios are co-financing and producing. Executive producers are Zhang Xin on behalf of Closer Media, Steve Sarowitz, Justin Baldoni, Manu Gargi and Andrew Calof on behalf of Wayfarer Studios, along with Cannavale, Jason Pinardo and Lois Robbins.
“Tony Spiridakis is a spectrum father, and he wrote a script whose lived-in truth, humor and grace are evident on every page,” Horberg said. “Tony Goldwyn has always been drawn to great material, as an actor, producer and filmmaker, going all the way back to our days working together on “Ghost” at Paramount. Seeing this story that celebrates neurodivergence come together with this amazing cast and team makes us feel incredibly fortunate and thrilled to be making this as our first film at Closer Media.”
“After hearing the initial idea, Wayfarer Studios felt strongly connected to it. We have a duty to ensure everyone feels they are represented in storytelling, and this unique story showcases those who are differently abled,” Wayfarer Studios president Jamey Heath said.
CAA is handling domestic sales of the film with Mister Smith Entertainment handling international sales.
