Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi will star in "National Lampoon's The Trouble With Frank," which will be directed by Arthur Hiller. Production will begin this spring in North Carolina.
Bon Jovi will play a former lawyer and current ne'er-do-well who decides to fund his latest get-rich-quick scheme with credit cards and winds up in court. Matty Simmons wrote the script and will also produce the pic, which is budgeted at $4 million.
William Greenblatt will also produce with Simmons and Phil Smoot. Charles Grimes will executive produce.
Simmons' producer credits include "National Lampoon's Animal House" and the "National Lampoon's Vacation" franchise. Founder of the Lampoon, he sold the company in 1989 and returned in 2002 to produce National Lampoon films.
This will be National Lampoon's first production intended for theatrical release since "National Lampoon's Van Wilder," which was directed by Walt Becker and released by Artisan Entertainment in 2002.
The film is financed by private equity through Symphony/New Directions, which was founded by Greenblatt, Grimes and Smoot.
Contact Dana Harris at
dana.harris@variety.com