Tia Carrere, along with Eugene Cordero of Star Trek: Lower Decks and WandaVision actor Asif Ali, have joined the cast of Easter Sunday, Amblin Partners’ family comedy starring Jo Koy.
Jay Chandrasekhar, the director of cult comedy Super Troopers who in recent years has been working on TV’s The Goldbergs and Fresh Off the Boat, is helming the feature, which is casting up as it heads toward a May production start.
The project, based on the stand-up comedy and life experiences of comedy star Koy, is set around a family gathering to celebrate Easter Sunday. Carrere will play Tita Theresa, an aunt of Koy’s onscreen character, while Cordero plays Koy’s cousin, Eugene. Ali will play Tony Daytona, a shady local businessman.
Already on the playbill are Brandon Wardell and Eva Noblezada. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback are producing.
Koy, Cheng, Joe Meloche (Mr. Iglesias), Jessica Gao (She-Hulk), Jimmy O. Yang (Space Force), Rideback’s Nick Reynolds, and Seth William Meier (A Dog’s Journey) are exec producing. Holly Bario, Amblin’s president of production, and Mia Maniscalco, vp creative affairs, are overseeing for the banner.
Carrere, a two-time Grammy winner, is the 1990s mainstay that appeared in breakout roles in the Wayne’s World movies as well as James Cameron’s True Lies. She starred in the syndicated adventure show Relic Hunter, and voiced a lead in Disney’s Lilo & Stitch.
Cordero, a rising comedian of Filipino descent, has appeared in movies ranging from The Hight Note, with Dakota Johnson, to Clint Eastwood’s The Mule to Kong: Skull Island. He is a regular on hit animated series Lower Decks and will appear in Marvel’s Disney+ series Loki.
Ali, also a stand-up comedian, appeared as a co-worker of Paul Bettany’s Vision character in Marvel’s WandaVision and recently wrapped a role in Olivia Wilde’s thriller Don’t Worry Darling, with Chris Pine and Harry Styles.
Carrere is repped by Innovative Artists and the Arlook Group. Cordero is repped by Global Artists Agency, Artists First and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis. Ali is repped by CAA, manager Mohammed Ali and Goodman Genow.
