Jake Paul has come a long way from simply being a social media personality. The YouTuber and Vine alum has since become a businessman and dabbled in the sports world, having made a name for himself as a boxer. In addition to his theatrics in the ring and in cyberspace, Paul has also done a bit of acting here and there. So far, he’s gotten his feet wet, thanks to TV, but he’s now reportedly gearing up for the big screen. That’s right, Paul is about to make his feature-film debut and, on top of that, it sounds like the upcoming production is going to take inspiration from his life.
Mandalay Pictures and Wonder Street Entertainment announced that it’s teaming up with the 26-year-old mogul for a brand-new film. Jake Paul will not only star in the production but will also serve as an executive producer. Plot details are slim at this point, but what was revealed via a press release is that it follows a young man from a fictional small town who aims to break into the world of combat sports. Paul released a statement on the movie, expressing how excited he is to get to work:
I'm thrilled to be partnering with Mandalay Pictures and Wonder Street on my first feature film project. Both companies have proven track records of producing high-quality content that resonates with audiences, and I couldn’t be more excited to work with such talented and experienced teams. As someone who has always believed in pushing boundaries and taking risks, I can't wait to bring this unique story and my brand to the big screen. This is just the beginning of an exciting new chapter in my career.
Serving as producers on the movie, which was not announced with a title, are David Zelon of Mandalay and Wonder Street’s Craig Baumgarten. Nakisa Bidarian has also been pegged for an EP role alongside the leading man. Both Bidarian and Zelon shared statements of their own in which they praised the star’s abilities as an entertainer. As Zelon put it, the social media maven “cracked the code to attract an audience that generates hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue” yet is also telling “a story in a way that connects directly with audiences of all ages.”
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Jake Paul grew up in Westlake, Ohio, which is where he began filming videos with older brother Logan when they were still kids. Though this movie isn’t confirmed to be autobiographical, the few plot details we have do suggest that it’ll have parallels with Paul’s past. On paper, such a production seems like a solid way for someone to kick off their acting career. The most notable acting credit to the star’s name right now is the teen show Bizaardvark (which is streamable with a Disney+ subscription). This is certainly a different kind of arena for him, and we’ll have to see if he has the acting chops for it.
Given the subject matter, one also has to wonder if the athlete will actually do stunt work for the flick. He very well could do some of the material himself, since he’s no stranger to getting in the ring for real. Boxing fans may remember that he brutally KO’d Tyron Woodley a few years ago. There actually came a point at which his victories were becoming so prevalent that ex-UFC champ Daniel Cormier weighed in to chastise those who’d been beaten. So I wouldn’t be too surprised if the champ decided to film fight sequences for the movie.
One thing that most fans surely know about Jake Paul is that he has a cockiness to him. After all, he compared his boxing prowess to Muhammed Ali and Mike Tyson. We’ll see if he proves to have better acting skills than the two of them once his film releases.
