GHOSTS Actor Utkarsh Ambudkar Developing Rap Musical Comedy Film for Disney+ Titled WORLD'S BEST
Ghosts and The Dropout actor Utkarsh Ambudkar is developing a new rap musical comedy for Disney+ titled World’s Best. He is co-writing, producing, and starring in the film, which tells the story of a young math kid who vows to become the world’s best MC.
World’s Best follows 12-year-old Prem, played by Manny Magnus, “as he navigates life as that junior high kid in the high school math class. After his best friend Jerome abandons him for the popular group, Prem never feels more alone, despite the support of his mother Priya (Punam Patel). But when Prem discovers that his late father Suresh (Ambudkar) was a great rapper, his new destiny is sealed. With renewed purpose (and some helpful, albeit imaginary, appearances from Suresh), Prem vows to break out of the mold of ‘math kid’ and become the world’s best MC.”
Ambudkar wrote the script with Jessica Jones writer Jamie King. They’ve been writing together for several years on various projects. Ambudkar is also collaborating with a number of friends including Thomas Kail, who scored a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Film with 2020’s Freestyle Love Supreme, in which Ambudkar co-starred.
Ambudkar said in a statement, “Collaborating with Disney on a feature about a nuclear South Asian family with music at its heart means a lot to me personally. I can’t wait to bring World’s Best to life with friends and colleagues I’ve known a long time, as well as people whose work is relatively new to me. After seeing his first feature, I knew Roshan Sethi could capture the intricacies, humor and energy of World’s Best. Manny Magnus is a special find. He’s been dancing and performing his own music since he was 6 years old. And I know firsthand that Punam Patel will bring laughs and warmth to the role of Priya, the matriarch. I hope World’s Best will be super fun, both to make and watch.”
The movie will be directed by Roshan Sethi (7 Days) and the film will start shooting in May. Kail is writing and co-producing the music with longtime collaborator Charlie B. Wilder, while Savan Kotecha (Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga) is the music director.
Source: Deadline