Grey’s Anatomy star Katherine Heigl is set to star in a musical rom-com opposite movie legend John Travolta.
Heigl and Travolta are teaming up for That’s Amore!, a comedy that promises singing, dancing, and plenty of romance.
That’s Amore! comes from writer-director Nick Vallelonga, who in 2019 won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Green Book, which also scooped Best Picture.
Speaking to Variety about the upcoming film and his connection to Travolta, Vallelonga said: “I’m constantly writing and developing scripts, and I’ve always had Travolta in mind for the role.
“I got to work with John on a George Gallo film [The Poison Rose] and I was his stand-in for a week on Staying Alive, so I’ve always been a big fan of his work. He just makes you happy when you see him on screen, and I’ve always dreamed of making this movie with him. After the success of Green Book, I got the script to him.”
In That’s Amore! Travolta plays Nick Venere, who is described as a modern-day ‘Marty’ –a man who’s never been married and his best dating years are behind him.
But things change when he meets Patty Amore (Heigl) a shy, introverted woman with a secret from her past which, combined with her over-protective father, have caused her to withdraw from the dating game.
Vallelonga said the film has seven musical numbers which will be incorporated organically into the narrative.
“We’re not breaking into big production numbers, but I wanted to try something a little different. We’ve recorded about seven songs so far with a full orchestra, and [Travolta’s] just a magical person,” Vallelonga said.
“One of the numbers is a real throw back to Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, and we’ve got the whole cast singing ‘That’s Amore’ at one point, and I think people are going to absolutely love it.”
That’s Amore! also stars Christopher Walken, Rocky’s Talia Shire, William Fichtner, D.B. Sweeney and The Sopranos’ Drea de Mateo. There’s no release date for the film yet.
Vallelonga ended by saying: “During rough times, folks need to laugh, and they need to get out and enjoy themselves. And that’s what this movie is all about. It’’s an old-fashioned, old-school film for all audiences, ages 8 to 80. It’s a little risky to do a musical, but we’ve got Travolta, so I’m not too worried.”
