Christopher Walken and Eugene Levy have joined Robert De Niro’s family comedy “The War with Grandpa,” directed by Tim Hill.
The Weinstein Co. set an April 21 launch for the film, which is based on the 1984 children’s book by Robert Kimmel Smith.
In the original story, a boy is forced to move out of his room when his recently widowed grandfather moves in. With the help of his friends, the boy devises outrageous pranks to make his grandfather surrender the room — but he turns out to be tougher than expected and all-out war ensues.
Walken will play the best friend of De Niro’s character. The two acted together in “The Deer Hunter.”
Phillip Glasser, Marvin Peart and Rosa Morris Peart are producing with Jane Rosenthal and Barry Welsh exec producing. Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse wrote the script’s first draft which Matt Ember and Tom Astle are polishing.
Marro Films is financing and producing with Dimension distributing. Hill’s credits include “Alvin and the Chipmunks” and “Hop.”
Walken and Levy are repped by ICM Partners. Levy is also repped by Great North Artists Management and Anonymous Content. The news was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.