Josh Duhamel Eyes Replacing Armie Hammer in Jennifer Lopez pic ‘Shotgun Wedding’

UPDATED, 11:17 AM: Transformers star Josh Duhamel is officially boarding the Lionsgate Jennifer Lopez movie Shotgun Wedding. Jennifer Coolidge and Sonia Braga are also joining to respectively play the moms of Duhamel and Lopez’s characters.

The announcement was made by Erin Westerman, president of production for the Lionsgate Motion Pictures Group.

“We couldn’t be happier for our bride and groom of this Shotgun Wedding,” said Westerman, confirming the casting of Duhamel. “We know Josh and Jennifer will make a compelling and sexy on-screen couple and they will be fun sparring partners as their dream destination wedding erupts into a memorable nightmare. We are also thrilled to bring Jennifer and Sonia on to our cast as Mothers of the Bride and Groom. Their acting and comedic talents will add another fun layer to this already-rich action-comedy.”

Logline: Darcy (Lopez) and Tom (Duhamel) gather their lovable but very opinionated families for the ultimate destination wedding just as the couple begin to get cold feet. And if that wasn’t enough of a threat to the celebration, suddenly everyone’s lives are in danger when the entire party is taken hostage. “Til Death Do Us Part” takes on a whole new meaning in this hilarious, adrenaline-fueled adventure as Darcy and Tom must save their loved ones — if they don’t kill each other first.

James Myers and Scott O’Brien are overseeing the production for Lionsgate. Robert Melnik negotiated the deals on behalf of the studio. Cameras roll this month.

Braga most recently starred in the Independent Spirit Award nominated Brazilian film Bacurau, from director Kleber Mendonça Filho, which reps The Kiss of the Spider Woman‘s reteam with the filmmaker after receiving acclaim for her starring role in Aquarius, a festival hit at Cannes and Toronto. Her feature credits include Wonder, The Milagro Beanfield War, as well as the miniseries Streets of Laredo, Luke Cage and The Burning Season. She is represented by Untitled and Bond Artist Management.

Coolidge can currently be seen in Focus Features’ Promising Young Woman. She starred in the HBO limited series The White Lotus and CBS’ 2 Broke Girls, as well as recent movies Swan Song and Like a Boss. She is represented by UTA and Mosaic.

PREVIOUSLY, January 19: Deadline has confirmed that Transformers actor Josh Duhamel is in early talks to take over Armie Hammer’s role in the Jennifer Lopez action comedy Shotgun Wedding. The news comes less than a week after Hammer exited the project after a social media controversy entailing some sexual messages he allegedly sent out.

Shotgun Wedding follows Darcy (Lopez) and Tom (who Duhamel would play), who gather their lovable but very opinionated families for the ultimate destination wedding just as the couple begin to get cold feet. And if that wasn’t enough of a threat to the celebration, suddenly everyone’s lives are in danger when the entire party is taken hostage. Jason Moore directs from a screenplay by Mark Hammer and Liz Meriwether. Lionsgate is releasing, and if Duhamel can commit, the pic’s cameras can roll next month.

After the salacious news broke about Hammer last week, The Social Network and Rebecca actor responded “I’m not responding to these bullshit claims but in light of the vicious and spurious online attacks against me, I cannot in good conscience now leave my children for 4 months to shoot a film in the Dominican Republic. Lionsgate is supporting me in this and I’m grateful to them for that.”

Prior to Hammer’s response last week, a spokesperson for the production said, “Given the imminent start date of Shotgun Wedding, Armie has requested to step away from the film and we support him in his decision.”

Mandeville’s Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman, who produced Lionsgate’s hit film Wonder, are also producing with Nuyorican Productions’ Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina. Alex Young is overseeing the production and executive producing for Mandeville Films, and Courtney Baxter for Nuyorican Productions. Ryan Reynolds is also executive producing along with George Dewey. James Myers and Scott O’Brien are overseeing the production for Lionsgate.

Duhamel next appears in the Netflix series Jupiter’s Legacy which he is the lead of. The actor’s feature credits include Love, Simon, Transformers: The Last Knight, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Transformers, and Win a Date With Ted Hamilton!. For 106 episodes, Duhamel played Danny McCoy on NBC’s Las Vegas.