JACKIE CHAN CAST IN THE UPCOMING FEATURE FILM THE NUT JOB 2

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JACKIE CHAN CAST IN THE UPCOMING FEATURE FILM THE NUT JOB 2

LOS ANGELES, — Award-winning actor Jackie Chan has joined the cast of The Nut Job 2 with Will Arnett, Katherine Heigl and Maya Rudolph. The film is directed by Cal Brunker and written by Scott Bindley, Bob Barlen & Cal Brunker. The Nut Job 2 will be released in theaters by Open Road Films on May 19, 2017.



The Nut Job 2 is a sequel to the highly successful animated family film The Nut Job, which achieved the biggest box office opening ever for an independent, animated film and surpassed $120 million at the global box office.

The Nut Job 2 follows the adventures of Surly Squirrel when the evil mayor of Oakton decides to bulldoze Liberty Park and build a dangerous amusement park in its place. Surly and his ragtag group of animal friends need to band together to save their home, defeat the mayor, and take back the park.  

His background in both comedy and action makes Jackie Chan the perfect fit to play Mr. Feng, the highly territorial leader of a gang of city mice. He may look cute and friendly, but beneath his fuzzy exterior lies a fierce and menacing master of Kung-Fu, and behind his big, but beady eyes, a weapon of mouse destruction bent on protecting his turf from any and all trespassers.
“We’re happy to announce the addition of Jackie Chan to the cast of The Nut Job 2,” director Cal Brunker said. “Jackie brings a unique voice to our movie, and it’s a real joy to be working with such a talented, award-winning actor and cultural icon.”

Jackie Chan’s career in entertainment has spanned more than five decades and he has been featured in over 100 films on both sides of the Pacific. A martial arts legend, Chan is renowned for his blend of action and comedy, most famously in the films Rush Hour (1998) and Shanghai Noon (2000), both of which went on to spawn on-going film franchises, and more recently in the reboot of The Karate Kid (2010). No stranger to animation, Chan has been featured in the critically acclaimed films Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016), Kung Fu Panda 2 (2012), Kung Fu Panda (2008), as well as the Cantonese and Mandarin editions of Disney’s Mulan (1998), and even inspired his own animated series, Jackie Chan Adventures (2000-2005). As an entertainment veteran, Chan is a cultural icon in Hollywood, where he’s received various honors and awards at the Kid’s Choice Awards, People’s Choice Awards, MTV Movie Awards, Hollywood Film Awards, and many more. He is one of the few Chinese actors to have his name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Production entities for The Nut Job 2 are ToonBox Entertainment, Redrover Co., Ltd., Shanghai Hoongman Technology Co. Ltd., and Gulfstream Pictures. Producers are Harry Linden, Bob Barlen and Sunghwan Kim. Executive producers are Hoe-Jin Ha, Hongjoo Ahn, Bill Bindley, Mike Karz, Hong Kim, Youngki Lee, Hyungkon Kim and Daniel Woo.  
Open Road Films will distribute The Nut Job 2 in theaters in the US with The Weinstein Company holding sales rights worldwide except China and Korea.

About ToonBox Entertainment, Ltd.
Established in 2008, ToonBox Entertainment produces global, award-winning quality family entertainment content seen in theatres and in home entertainment. With the national and international theatrical success of The Nut Job with Open Road Films, and The Weinstein Company, ToonBox Entertainment is an industry leading creator and producer of visually dynamic animated television shows and films for family audiences worldwide. ToonBox Entertainment collaborates with international partners to produce and distribute content, most notably works with Korean-based Company, Redrover, Chinese-based Hoongman and Gulfstream Pictures in LA. In a team of highly skilled and leading talent within cutting edge facilities, ToonBox Entertainment has released top Hollywood-quality productions such as The Nut Job (2014), Bolts and Blip (2010), The Beet Party (2012), Spark (2016), and The Nut Job 2 (2017).

About Redrover Co., Ltd.
Specializing in 3D stereoscopic technology, Redrover has maintained a close partnership with the Canadian animation studio ToonBox Entertainment to produce various animated features and television series over the last eight years, including the world’s first 3D stereoscopic TV series Bolts & Blip, followed by the musical interstitial, The Beet Party. On January 17, 2014, The Nut Job, was released in North America, and had the biggest opening for an independent animated film of all time in the U.S, garnering over $25 million in its opening weekend. Redrover continues to combine creative inspiration, direction, animation expertise, and the latest 3D stereoscopic technology to fulfill its mission of providing quality entertainment to audiences worldwide, producing new content for both the big and small screen, including a second feature film, Spark, and the much-anticipated The Nut Job 2, slated for release in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

About Gulfstream Pictures
Gulfstream Pictures is a Warner Bros.-based development, financing and production company focused on making tentpole films. Headed by Mike Karz and Bill Bindley, the company was formed in 2012, and is funded by Korea-based 3D stereoscopic leader Redrover Co., Ltd., and a consortium of U.S. private equity funds. Gulfstream produced BLENDED (2014) with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore for Warner Bros., the record-breaking, hit animated feature THE NUT JOB and its sequel THE NUT JOB 2, as well as MOTHER’S DAY starring Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston and Kate Hudson.

About Open Road Films
Open Road Films is a leading, independent, theatrical motion picture company, releasing a diverse slate of star-driven films, which has included multiple #1 releases and enormous critical response. The company was founded in 2011 by AMC Entertainment Inc. (AMC) and Regal Entertainment Group (Regal), the two largest theatrical exhibition companies in the United States. The uniquely formed company is widely known as a filmmaker-focused distributor that supports both box office hits and top prestige titles.

Open Road Films led the 2016 critically acclaimed film, Spotlight, to win the Oscar® for Best Picture, becoming the youngest studio in history win the big prize. The film, which earned almost $45 million at the U.S. box-office, stars Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, Brian d’Arcy James, Stanley Tucci and Billy Crudup was directed by Tom McCarthy, who also won the Oscar® for Best Original Screenplay, with his co-writer (and executive producer) Josh Singer. Spotlight has won numerous high profile critics and guild awards, including the Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble Award and the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature Film. Spotlight also appeared on over 250 critics’ Top Ten lists for 2016.

Other notable Open Road Films releases include: Nightcrawler, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, which took the #1 spot at the box-office during its opening week and received an Oscar® nomination for Best Original Screenplay, along with a Golden Globe nomination – it was named one of the best films of 2014 by the AFI and National Board of Review and top critics nationwide; the hit film Chef, written by, directed by and starring Jon Favreau along with Sofia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Oliver Platt, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Downey, Jr.; The Nut Job, which opened to over $25 million at the box office as the highest ever opening for an independent animated film; The Grey, directed by Joe Carnahan and starring Liam Neeson, which opened #1 at the box office; End Of Watch, directed by David Ayer and starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña, which opened #1 at the box office; Rosewater, written and directed by Jon Stewart; A Haunted House starring Marlon Wayans; and Side Effects, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Channing Tatum.

Upcoming Open Road Films releases include: Gleason (‪7/29/16), the hit documentary from the 2016 Sundance Film Festival; Snowden (‪9/16/16), written and directed by Oliver Stone starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Zachary Quinto, Melissa Leo, Tom Wilkinson, Scott Eastwood and Timothy Olyphant; Bleed For This (‪11/4/16), starring Miles Teller, Aaron Eckhart and Katey Sagal and directed by Ben Younger; Sleepless (‪2/24/17), starring Jamie Foxx and Michelle Monaghan; The Nut Job 2 (‪5/19/17), the sequel to the 2014 hit animated film, featuring the voices of Will Arnett, Katherine Heigl, Maya Rudolph, Jeff Dunham, Bobby Moynihan, Bobby Cannavale, Isabela Moner, Gabriel Iglesias, Sebastian Maniscalco and Peter Stormare; Blazing Samurai (8/25/2017), the animated family film featuring the voices of Samuel L. Jackson, Mel Brooks, Michael Cera, George Takei, Gabriel Iglesias, Aasif Mandvi, Djimon Hounsou, Michelle Yeoh and more; and Show Dogs (‪11/10/17), a live action family comedy from the director of Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Scooby Doo and The Smurfs.

The company, led by industry veteran CEO Tom Ortenberg, is based in Los Angeles.