Client: Lil Rel Howery – Executive Producer, Talent
Rainn Wilson (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story) and Lil Rel Howery (Get Out) have closed deals to exec produce and star in Code 3 — a buddy action-comedy from Wayfarer Studios and Circle of Confusion, which is heading into production in Los Angeles next month.
The film from director Christopher Leone (Parallels) follows a day-in-the-life of two overworked, underpaid and nearly burnt-out paramedics. One EMT is so burnt-out by the job that he is forcing himself to resign, though he first must embark on one last 24-hour shift to train his replacement. Everything that could happen on the job, from the mundane to the extreme, then happens on this final, exhilarating day.
The script for Code 3 is from former paramedic, Patrick Pianezza, and Leone. Wayfarer Studios has tapped Angela Cardon to oversee the project for the company and will serve as its sole financier. Producers are Justin Baldoni and Andrew Calof for Wayfarer, Lawrence Mattis of Circle of Confusion, Matt Smith of Electro Corduroy Entertainment, and Paul “Pizza” Pianezza of Realdream. Steve Sarowitz will exec produce for Wayfarer, alongside Mike Jones for Silver Hearts Productions, with Megan Herring co-producing on behalf of Circle of Confusion.
“CODE 3 is a fresh buddy action comedy from Patrick and Christopher that will take the audience on an introspective journey. It demonstrates how our interactions with strangers can have profound impact,” said Wayfarer Studios President, Jamey Heath. “We are beyond excited for this film and the fact that Rainn and Lil Rel are on board is fantastic. The two will inject humor and levity into this provocative story and Wayfarer Studios is thrilled to partner with Circle of Confusion and Silver Heart Productions to share this story.”
Best known for his 3x Emmy-nominated breakout role as Dwight Schrute on NBC’s enduringly popular sitcom, The Office, Wilson has previously collaborated with Wayfarer on their Claire Ayoub-directed dramedy, Empire Waist. The actor portrays radio broadcaster Dr. Demento in Roku’s recently-released viral hit Weird: The Al Yankovic Story and has also been seen of late in AMC/AMC+’s Dark Winds, as well as the Paramount+ dramedy Jerry and Marge Go Large with Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening. Also coming up for Wilson is the Tony Goldwyn-directed comedy Inappropriate Behavior with Bobby Cannavale and Robert De Niro.
Howery is an actor and comedian who garnered international recognition with his supporting role in Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winning pop culture phenomenon, Get Out. He previously teamed with Wayfarer on its YA hit Clouds directed by Baldoni and has also, in recent years, been seen in such features as Tag, Bird Box, Brittany Runs a Marathon, Judas and the Black Messiah, Bad Trip, Fatherhood, Free Guy, National Champions, I Love My Dad and the hit 20th buddy comedy Vacation Friends for Hulu, among others. He for a time led his own Fox sitcom, Rel, and has also been seen on series including Harlem, South Side and The Carmichael Show, to name a few. Howery will next be seen in Rian Johnson’s case-of-the-week mystery series Poker Face for Peacock, Goldwyn’s Inappropriate Behavior and the Vacation Friends sequel Honeymoon Friends, among other projects.
Wayfarer Studios is an independent production studio co-founded by Baldoni and Sarowitz and led by Heath, which in 2020 released Clouds, the first feature-length film to launch on Disney+. Other projects on its upcoming slate include a live-action feature based on the classic arcade game, Pac-Man, as well as titles including The Senior, Empire Waist, The Algorithm, It Ends With Us and Badass Biker Chicks of Marrakesh. Wayfarer recently saw their documentary Racist Trees make its domestic premiere at the Palm Springs Film Festival, and will soon take their doc The Hurricanes to SXSW.
The management and production company Circle of Confusion has been behind features including the Sarah Hyland horror Satanic, the action rom-com Mr. Right with Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick, and the Lionsgate action-comedy American Ultra with Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart, among others. Notable credits on the TV side include The Walking Dead and its offshoots Fear the Walking Dead and Tales of the Walking Dead, as well as Netflix’s Locke & Key and Showtime’s Work in Progress. Up next for the company on the small screen is the Prime Video miniseries Daisy Jones & The Six toplined by Riley Keough.
Leone is represented by Circle of Confusion. Wilson is repped by UTA, Sugar23 and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Howery is with UTA, Fourth Wall Management and Cohen & Gardner.