Harsh Vardhan
The filming of Hulu’s sports series ‘Chad Powers’ is set to commence in Atlanta, Georgia, in August. Glen Powell leads the cast of the show he created with Michael Waldron. In addition to writing the pilot, Powell and Waldron also serve as executive producers of the show. The actor will star alongside Steve Zahn, Perry Mattfeld, and Frankie A. Rodriguez.
The series draws inspiration from the Chad Powers character introduced by Eli Manning in his ESPN+ docuseries ‘Eli’s Places.’ Manning’s curiosity about the walk-on process for college football led him to disguise himself with a wig and prosthetic makeup, allowing him to go undercover during the Penn State football tryouts. The official logline of the series mentions that when bad behavior negatively impacts the college career of hotshot quarterback Russ Holliday (Powell), he chooses to disguise himself and join a struggling Southern football team as the talented and affable Chad Powers.
“We’re both diehard college football fans. When we saw Eli as Chad Powers, we knew that was the way into a big, fun story about this world. We’re excited to be part of this team and can’t wait to get Chad in the game. Think fast, run fast,” Powell and Waldron shared in a statement.
Powell’s involvement in ‘Chad Powers’ marks another step in his career as a writer. He previously co-wrote Richard Linklater’s action-comedy ‘Hit Man,’ in which he also played a professor who, while moonlighting as an unconventional hitman for the city police department, faces perilous situations when he becomes romantically entangled with a woman seeking his services.
Powell’s diverse acting portfolio includes roles such as Ben in the rom-com ‘Anyone But You,’ in which a duo experiences a rekindling of romance at a wedding, prompting them to pretend they are in a relationship. Additionally, the actor starred in ‘Devotion‘ as Tom Hudner, depicting the bravery of U.S. Navy fighter pilots during the Korean War. His other recent credits include Kwyatt in the latest season of ‘Rick and Morty’ and Lt. Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin in the blockbuster ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’
Waldron is known for creating Marvel Studios’ superhero series ‘Loki,’ in which the mischievous title character resumes his adventures as the God of Mischief following the events of ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ Additionally, he created ‘Heels,’ a series that centers on two wrestling brothers in a small town in Georgia battling for control of their late father’s wrestling promotion. Waldron also wrote Sam Raimi’s ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,’ in which Doctor Strange joins forces with a mysterious teenage girl to combat various threats across multiverses, with assistance from allies such as Wanda the Scarlet Witch and Wong.
Zahn will play Jake Hudson, the head coach of the football program. The actor has been portraying Peter Montgomery in HBO’s crime series ‘The Righteous Gemstones.’ His other credits include Skip in ‘LaRoy, Texas,’ Jackson in ‘Gringa,’ and Zen in ‘Your Place or Mine.’ Mattfeld previously appeared in Prime Video’s ‘The Idea of You’ and The CW’s ‘In the Dark.’ Rodriguez’s recent credits include ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.’
Atlanta, the main location of the series, is best known as Hollywood East due to its rise as a prominent entertainment production hub in the country. The city earlier hosted the shooting of high-profile projects such as Netflix’s ‘Reptile‘ and Disney+’s ‘Echo.’
Read More: Debbie Berman’s Unikorn Back in the Works; Starts Filming in Vancouver and Saudi Arabia in September
