Chris Pratt Starring in ‘Way Of The Warrior Kid’

McG is aboard to direct the new film based on Jock Willink’s book about a Navy SEAL who helps to train his nephew to find confidence and battle bullies.

Chris Pratt from 'Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.'

Preview:

Chris Pratt will star in and produce ‘Way of the Warrior Kid’.
McG is aboard to direct the movie.
The film will be looking for a distribution at the Cannes Market.

Outside of his Amazon series work, Chris Pratt may still be looking to prove that he can carry projects beyond his Marvel and other franchise gigs. ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ was certainly a big hit last year, though that was powered more by video game nostalgia than his name. And he’ll be heard rather than seen in the upcoming ‘The Garfield Movie’, which focuses on the comic strip cat brought to CG life on screens.

According to Deadline, he’s part of a new movie package that looks to find success (specifically, a buyer) at this year’s Cannes Market. Pratt is attached to star in ‘Way of the Warrior Kid’, which will adapt retired Navy SEAL Jock Willink’s book.

With McG aboard to direct, the new film looks to target audiences who want a story of youth empowerment without a fantasy angle.

What’s the story of ‘Way of the Warrior Kid’?

Chris Pratt in Prime Video’s ‘The Terminal List’

Willink drew on his experiences and training to write the book about Marc, a self-doubting kid who gets bullied and is hard pressed to complete a single pullup. That’s until his uncle Jake, an elite Navy SEAL, is injured on a mission and moves in with his sister for rehab. When he discovers his 11 year old nephew Marc is struggling academically, socially and physically, Jake takes on a new mission: using his SEAL Team training over three months of summer to help the youth find his inner warrior.

Here’s what Willink says about the book, which has since spawned various follow-ups and spin-offs, including merchandise:

“I spent my adult life in the military. I was in the SEAL Teams, deployed all over the place, went up through the chain of command, and was lucky to have had a blessed career. That whole time, I also had a wife and four kids. I wanted to read them books and I would go to the store or to the library and I just couldn’t find any that I liked. The straw that broke the camel’s back was a pirate book. And it was filled with the weakest, most pathetic pirates I’d ever heard of in my life.”

Who is making ‘Way of the Warrior Kid’?

(L to R) Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu in director McG's 'Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle'. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.

Aside from Pratt and McG, the project has ‘Without Remorse’ scribe Will Staples writing the script, which UTA Independent Film Group and FilmNation will be putting on the market in France.

This is what Pratt said of the project:

“Will Staples’ screenplay is incredible. I’ve known Jocko Willink for a couple of years, so I was eager to read the script based on his series of children’s books. I believe in the power of storytelling and felt particularly called to the material. I have faith this film will help to shape today’s youth, putting them on the right path. Our young people need this movie, and I hope this story will help bridge the growing divide and inspire the next generation to learn valuable lessons about discipline, self-reliance, strength, and compassion. This is the kind of movie that can define a generation, like ‘Karate Kid’ or ‘Rocky’. This is the kind of movie I want to show my kids. So, with the help of an incredible creative team and the right partner, we’re gonna make it.”

When will ‘Way of the Warrior Kid’ be in theaters?

With no distributor attached as of yet, there is zero information on whether this one will hit theaters, let alone a release date. But given the star power of Pratt and the confidence-building kid angle (that will appeal to a big audience), we’d expect this one to be moving forward before too long.