Rick Springfield - P 2014
AP Images/InvisionMeryl Steep will have a musician with more than four decades of experience by her side in her upcoming film, Ricki and the Flash.
Rick Springfield, the musician behind hits like “Jessie’s Girl,” “Don’t Talk to Strangers” and “Affair of the Heart,” has been cast in Tom Rothman‘s TriStar Productions film, which is in preproduction and will begin shooting in October.
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Written by Diablo Cody and to be directed by Jonathan Demme, Ricki and the Flash centers on a rock ‘n’ roll loving woman, Ricki (Streep), who chased her musical dreams at the price of her family — and is given one last chance to, perhaps, make things right.
Springfield will play a bandmember who has a crush on Ricki, and he’ll be showing off his skills on the guitar in the project.
Marc Platt and Mason Novick are producing the film. TriStar, which has several high-profile projects under Rothman’s purview including Jodie Foster‘s Money Monster starring George Clooney and The Lady in the Van starring Maggie Smith, has slated the film for release June 26, 2015.
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Springfield was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971 before launching a solo career. While “Jessie’s Girl” has become a pop culture hit that has lasted through the decades, he’s had several popular songs and albums, including 1981’s Working Class Dog and 1982’s Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet.
Repped by UTA, Springfield also has balanced his music career with acting, playing Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital and appearing on TV’s Californication, Hawaii Five-0 and Hot in Cleveland.
E-mail: Rebecca.Ford@THR.com
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