Among the many great movies that take place during parties, the definitive crown jewel of the bunch would have to be the aptly titled House Party, directed by Oscar nominated filmmaker Reginald Hudlin and starring hip-hop duo Kid ’N Play. The people at HBO Max seem to agree with the acclaim, which must be why they are developing a reimagining of the classic 1990 cult comedy for a new generation – namely, the streaming generation. Speaking of streaming, let’s start off our list of all the essential, confirmed facts there are to know about the House Party remake so far, with a reminder of where you will be able to find it upon release.
The House Party Remake Will Premiere Exclusively On HBO Max
We pretty much already gave it away in the introductory paragraph that New Line Cinema’s House Party remake is an HBO Max original, but what we have not revealed is when the movie will be available to stream on the popular, rapidly evolving digital platform. Well, we wish we could tell you exactly when that would be but, unfortunately, no confirmed release date has been announced yet.
Furthermore, according to Deadline, principal photography for the film was put on hold in July 2021 after nine people involved with the production (mostly background actors) tested positive for Covid-19. Luckily, most of those people had not even been on the set near the time of their diagnosis, allowing the shoot to go on the following the month and raising hope for a 2022 release.
The Remake Is, Technically, The Sixth House Party Movie
In case any further clarification was needed, HBO Max’s House Party is an entirely new, modern reinterpretation of the original and not a sequel. However, if we were to count it as part of the franchise, this would be the sixth installment of a series spanning more than three decades – a few of which are the best movies on HBO Max right now.
Christopher Reid and Christopher Martin, a.k.a. Kid ’N Play, would reprise their roles from the original hit in two sequels – the college-set House Party 2 in 1991, which also sees Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell from the classic ‘90s sitcom, Martin, return, and 1994’s House Party 3, which is framed as Kid’s bachelor party. The duo did not return for the straight-to-video House Party 4: Down to the Last Minute, instead starring R&B trio IMx (née Immature), in 2001, but would make a special appearance as themselves in 2013’s House Party: Tonight’s the Night, which (according to Level’s Medium blog) is the closest we have had to a House Party remake yet, but not quite in a complimentary sense.
The House Party Cast Includes Jacob Latimore, Tosin Cole, And More
Unless they are shaping up to make a special, top secret cameo, it does not look like Kid ’N Play are involved in the remake. However, the new House Party cast is filled with some premium talent, including Jacob Latimore from Netflix’s upcoming Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel and Showtime’s The Chi. As Deadline reported in July 2021, the actor was brought in to replace Jorge Lendeborg Jr., from the first two Tom Holland Spider-Man movies and fellow Netflix horror flick star from Night Teeth, after he left for personal reasons.
Co-stars in the House Party cast include British actor Tosin Cole of Doctor Who and Star Wars: The Force Awakens fame, and Straight Outta Compton cast member Allen Maldonaldo. Shakira Ja’nai Payne from Netflix’s All Day and a Night, Tamera Kissen (who had a recurring role on BET’s Real Husbands of Hollywood), and musician and actor DC Young Fly are also among the top billed talent.
LeBron James Is Producing The House Party Remake
However, the one who is easily the biggest name attached to this remake is not even in the cast, but plays a large role in its development from behind the camera. NBA superstar LeBron James is producing House Party, after having previously put in a surprising performance in Trainwreck as himself in 2015, and reprising that role in 2021’s Space Jam: A New Legacy, which he also helped produce with his own SpringHill Company.
As Deadline mentions, The Los Angeles Lakers’ Small Forward also shares a producing credit with Reginald Hudlin, who made his feature-length debut as a writer and director with the original House Party after starting out with shorts and music videos. He would go on to work with Eddie Murphy on 1992’s Boomerang, was nominated for an Oscar for producing Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained in 2013, and directed the late Chadwick Boseman in Marshall as the titular groundbreaking lawyer, Thurgood Marshall, in 2017.
Music Video Helmer Calmatic Is Directing The House Party Remake
The House Party remake will also be the feature-length directorial debut for someone else who got their start helming music videos. According to Deadline, Calmatic (née Charles Kidd II) signed on to direct the comedy in September 2019, not long after getting noticed for his video for the chart-topping Lil Nas X/Billy Ray Cyrus collaboration, “Old Town Road.”
The incredibly popular, visually impressive musical short would also earn Calmatic an MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction and a Grammy for Best Music Video. Perhaps his cinematic eye is just what the House Party remake needs to look especially fresh.
Atlanta Writers Stephen Glover And Jamal Olori Penned The House Party Screenplay
I think there is a good chance that the House Party remake will have no problem also being funny, given who handled the script. In 2018, Stephen Glover and Jamal Olori were tapped to write the film, as The Wrap confirmed in February of that year.
In addition to being the brother of Donald Glover, Stephen Glover is best known for his Emmy-nominated and WGA Award-winning work writing some of the best episodes of Atlanta, which will return for a third season in March 2022. Jamal Olori has received the same accolades for the FX dramedy, and also worked with Glover previously on his 2018 SNL hosting gig and the Amazon original film Guava Island, which the rapper (otherwise known as Childish Gambino) also stars in with Rihanna.
At this point, I am convinced that we might have the best House Party movie (or party movie in general) since the original on our hands. We will let you decide whenever the remake becomes available to stream on HBO Max.