‘The Valet’: Three Join Lionsgate’s Eugenio Derbez Comedy

EXCLUSIVE: Ravi Patel, Amaury Nolasco and John Pirruccello have boarded Lionsgate’s English-language remake of the hit French film The Valet.

Richard Wong is directing for Lionsgate. The original 2006 French movie was directed and written by Francis Veber.

In the remake, Samara Weaving will play Olivia, a movie star who enlists parking valet Antonio, played by Eugenio Derbez, to pose as her lover to cover for a relationship with a married man. As a Latinx valet, the hardworking Antonio usually moves through the world anonymously, but through the ruse, he comes to be seen as the worthy person he always has been.

The Valet is being adapted by Rob Greenberg and Bob Fisher, the team that penned Derbez’s hit film Overboard, which took in $91 million worldwide. Derbez and his producing partner Ben Odell produce through their 3Pas Studios banner.

Patel plays Kapoor, a private investigator. Patel most recently starred in Warner Bros’ Wonder Woman 1984 as Babajide. He stars next in Paul A. Kaufman’s Butter opposite Mira Sorvino and he’s the star, co-writer and co-director of Meet the Patels. He is represented by 360, Buchwald and Morris Yorn.

Nolasco will play Antonio’s boss, Benny. Nolasco’s TV credits include Telenovela, Hightown, Deception and the upcoming feature Till Death opposite Evangeline Lilly and Jason Sudeikis. He is represented by Innovative Artists and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

Pirruccello is Stegman, an ex-cop who had been hired to follow Olivia. The actor plays Detective John Loach on the multi-Emmy-winning HBO series Barry. He can bee seen currently in Warner Bros/HBO Max’s hit sequel Godzilla vs. Kong and his TV credits include Little Fires Everywhere, Mayans M.C. and David Lynch’s recent reboot of Twin Peaks on Showtime. He is represented by AKA Talent Agency and Corner Booth Entertainment.

Meredith Wieck and Aaron Edmonds are overseeing The Valet for Lionsgate.

Derbez’s Instructions Not Included for Lionsgate’s Pantelion label is Mexico’s biggest feature export with $100.5 million at the worldwide box office, and the highest-grossing Spanish-language movie in the U.S. at $44.4M. Veber’s 1998 hit French movie Le Diner de Cons also received an English remake, which was 2010’s Dinner for Schmucks which starred Steve Carell and Paul Rudd. Veber received a 1980 Oscar nomination for co-writing the classic hit La Cage aux Folles which was remade by Mike Nichols into 1996’s Birdcage starring Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, and Dianne Wiest.