Skydance Acquires Chris Pratt Movie Way of the Warrior Kid
Chris Pratt will play a Navy SEAL in McG's Way of the Warrior Kid movie.
Chris Pratt is on the path of the warrior kid. After voicing the titular characters in the animated The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Garfield Movie, the Guardians of the Galaxy star will be playing a "for-real, super-cool" Navy SEAL in the McG-directed Way of the Warrior Kid. An adaptation of the New York Times best-selling book series by author Jocko Willink and illustrator Jon Bozak, the family-friendly pic — which follows fifth grader Marc's journey "from wimpy to warrior the Navy SEAL way" — was just acquired by Skydance in a Cannes package that Deadline reports is an "$80M-$85M global deal."
That's the largest acquisition out of Cannes since Apple bid $130 million for the Will Smith-starring Emancipation in 2020, according to Deadline. (The deal also marks Pratt's return to Skydance, which produced 2021's The Tomorrow War and is currently developing a sequel to the sci-fi streaming blockbuster, Tomorrow War 2.)
Will Staples, who wrote Skydance's Tom Clancy adaptation Without Remorse, is penning the script.
"Will Staples' screenplay is incredible," Pratt previously told Deadline. "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."
The Jurassic World star added, "This is the kind of movie that can define a generation, like Karate Kid or Rocky. As a dad, 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."
Skydance, the production company behind Paramount's Top Gun: Maverick, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and the Mission: Impossible and Star Trek movies, has co-financed such kid-friendly movies as the animated Luck, Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy's The Adam Project, Netflix's Spy Kids: Armageddon, and Mark Wahlberg's The Family Plan. Way of the Warrior Kid spans five books, including "Letters From Uncle Jake," a Warrior Kid Field Manual, and a coloring book that inspires kids "to learn more, to be physically fit, to strive to be their best, and to get on The Path."
The official description of Way of the Warrior Kid 1: "Fifth grade was the worst year of Marc's life. He stunk at gym class, math was too hard for him, the school lunch was horrible, and his class field trip was ruined because he couldn't swim. But what was the most awful thing about fifth grade? Kenny Williamson, the class bully, who calls himself the 'King of the Jungle Gym.' When Marc's mother tells him that his uncle Jake is coming to stay for the whole summer, Marc can't wait. Uncle Jake is a for-real, super-cool Navy SEAL. And Uncle Jake has a plan. He's going to turn Marc into a warrior. Becoming a warrior isn't easy. It involves a lot of pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, squats, swimming, eating right, and studying harder than ever before! Can Marc transform himself into a warrior before school starts in the fall—and finally stand up to the King of the Jungle himself?"
