The Lionsgate romantic comedy The Valet, starring Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez and which wrapped up shooting in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, has secured U.S. and global distribution. The film has been acquired by Hulu for streaming in North America and by Disney+ for international markets.
The English-language film is a remake of the 2006 French feature La Doublure, directed and written by Francis Veber, who got an Oscar nod for writing the 1978 La Cage aux Folles (The Birdcage).
The Valet is helmed by Richard Wong (Come as You Are) produced by Derbez and his partner Ben Odell (Overboard, How to Be a Latin Lover) through their 3Pas Studios banner. Jeremiah Samuels (X-Men: First Class) executive produces. The film is written by Bob Fisher (Overboard) and Rob Greenberg (Frasier).
Co-starring with Derbez are Samara Weaving (Ready or Not), Max Greenfield (New Girl), Marisol Nichols (Riverdale), and Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad).
In the film, Weaving plays Olivia, a movie star who enlists parking valet Antonio (Derbez) to pose as her lover to cover for a relationship with a married man (Greenfield). As a valet, the hard-working Antonio usually flies under the radar but his ruse with Olivia thrusts him into the spotlight and brings him to see himself more clearly than ever before.
“The Valet is a multi-generational, multicultural comedy in which people from two different worlds discover the humanity in each other,” say Derbez and Odell in a joint statement. “At 3pas studios we tell stories that try to unite us all and we love partnering with Hulu and Disney+ to bring this to the largest global audience possible.”
The film also features several other stars Amaury Nolasco (Prison Break), Alex Fernandez (American Crime Story), Noemi Gonzalez (Selena: The Series), Wilmer Calderon (Fast & Furious), Carmen Salinas (Man on Fire), Diany Rodriguez (The Outsider), Carlos Santos (Gentefied), Milena Rivero (Sweet Girl) and Dariana Alvarez (Diary of a Future President).
The latest actor to join the cast is reggaeton singer Lunay, who is reportedly set to make his feature film debut in The Valet. The Puerto Rican artist previously appeared on the TV film Tiempos de Aguinaldo.
Director Wong says the rom-com feels personal to him. “What struck me most about The Valet is how closely my family resembled Antonio’s family and telling their story was like telling mine,” he says. “It’s message of unity, seeing each other and human connection, is something the world could use right now and no one does that better than Hulu and Disney+.”
Already in post-production, The Valet is set to premiere in the summer of 2022.
