Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas Musical Comedy Locks In Release Date
Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas crank up the volume in Power Ballad, a musical comedy hitting summer 2026, where a wedding singer’s unlikely team-up with a former boy-band star turns one breakout track into a rocket ride to fame—and a rivalry.
Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas are teaming up for a John Carney musical called "Power Ballad," and Lionsgate just planted it squarely in early summer. It sounds exactly like the kind of heartfelt, messy music story Carney loves: two guys stumble into a hit and then have to figure out who actually deserves the spotlight.
Release date and the competition
"Power Ballad" hits theaters on June 5, 2026. Per Deadline, it is opening against Amazon MGM Studios' "Masters of the Universe" and Warner Bros.' "Animal Friends," which is a pretty loud weekend for a movie about a very specific kind of midlife music crisis. Bold counterprogramming move.
What it is
Rudd plays Rick, a wedding singer whose best days are behind him. Jonas is Danny, a onetime boy-band star who is also running on fumes. One late-night jam later, Danny reworks one of Rick's songs into a chart-friendly banger and rides it back to relevance. Rick wants the credit he thinks he is owed. Cue a friendship-versus-fame tug-of-war, with the movie digging into ambition and self-worth through the music they make together.
Who is making it
John Carney directs and co-writes, which fits the vibe to a T. He shares screenplay credit with Peter McDonald, who also appears in the film. The ensemble includes Marcella Plunkett, Havana Rose Liu, Jack Reynor, and Sophie Vavasseur. Behind the camera, Yaron Orbach is in charge of cinematography, and Stephen O'Connell is editing.
On the producing side, Anthony Bregman, John Carney, Peter Cron, Rebecca O'Flanagan, and Robert Walpole are steering this thing for 30West, Likely Story, and Treasure Entertainment. It is a United States–Ireland co-production made with Screen Ireland and other partners throughout development. Lionsgate is distributing worldwide.
How it came together
Carney announced the project in May 2024 and shot it in Dublin. Jack Reynor joined the cast later that month, with Havana Rose Liu signing on in June.
Where it fits on Lionsgate's slate
The studio has a busy run heading into 2026: "I Wish You All the Best" is dated for November 7, "Now You See Me: Now You Don't" lands November 14, and the Michael Jackson biopic "Michael" (directed by Antoine Fuqua) arrives April 24, 2026, a few weeks before "Power Ballad."
Early take: this has 'feel-good crowd-pleaser with a petty credit feud at the core' written all over it. I mean that as a compliment.