By Michaela Gordoni
HACKS actor Christopher McDonald will star as Lionel Barrymore in the upcoming Jimmy Stewart biopic by Burns & Co. Productions.
The movie is currently filming in Ireland. KJ Apa stars as Jimmy. Kara Killmer will play Lady Julia. Neal McDonough will play Stewart’s dad, Alexander, and Rob Riggle will play U.S. Army Colonel Terrill. Jemma Donovon appears as Ginger Rogers. It stars Jason Alexander as Louis B. Mayer, Max Casella as Frank Capra, Sarah Drew as Hedda Hopper, Julian Works as Second Lieutenant Martinez and Jen Lilley as Gloria Stewart, Variety reported on Sept. 2.
“There is something special about the way our amazing cast has immediately connected deeply with our story and with one another,” said director and producer Aaron Burns. “Being in Ireland allows us to have the feel of England in the 1940s, and with our beautiful costumes and sets, I feel like we’ve stepped back into Jimmy Stewart’s world.”
“Jimmy lived the lives of a hundred men, with courage and conviction,” screenwriter and producer Justin Strawhand said. “Working with Aaron, our producing team, and our incredibly talented cast and crew to bring his story to screen is the privilege of a lifetime.”
Related: Jimmy Stewart Biopic in the Works
The movie, titled JIMMY, follows the actor’s time in Hollywood, his years in the Army Air Corps in WWII and his return to the screen after.
David Cook, Angela Galgani Sullivan and John Norton of Redted Media will also produce JIMMY. Kelly Stewart-Harcourt, one of Jimmy Stewart’s daughters, serves as an executive producer.
“I have always been a huge James Stewart fan and feel so honored I get to bring his story to life,” Apa told Variety on Aug. 5. “As someone from New Zealand, I’ve long admired that generation of American men who stood for patriotism, integrity and a deep sense of duty.”
He added, “It is important to me to give back to a country that has given me so much, and what better way to do that than by honoring a man who served it with great honor.”
Apa says he’ll try to focus on mastering Stewart’s gait and voice as he prepares for the role.
“You have to change a few things up with process and stuff like that to get really specific things,” the RIVERDALE star said on TODAY WITH JENNA & FRIENDS last month. “His voice, I think, was one of his most distinct characteristics, and his physicality. He was a tall guy. He was a little bit lanky. So, focusing on all that is definitely gonna be important.”
The biopic will come out in November 2026.
Read Next: Jimmy Stewart Biopic in the Works—Here’s Who Will Play the Hollywood Icon
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