Former Oakland Raiders cornerback and Crown Heights star Nnamdi Asomugha and Thor: Ragnarok actress Tessa Thompson have signed on to star and produce the upcoming romantic drama Sylvie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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The film, which is being written and directed by Eugene Ashe, is set in the ’50s and ’60s and follows aspiring saxophonist Robert (Asomugha) as he takes a job at a record store and has a love-filled summer with the daughter of the shop’s owner, Sylvie (Thompson). However, after the summer ends, the two go separate ways only to reconnect years later and discover they both still hold feelings for each other.
Leaving Las Vegas‘ Declan Quinn is currently attached as the cinematographer for the project, which is set to begin production in Los Angeles next week, and the film is being produced by Asomugha through his banner iAm21 Entertainment alongside Jonathan Baker, Gabrielle Glore and Matthew Thurm, while Thompson will executive produce the drama.
Asomugha has dabbled in acting for over a decade now, trying it out before retiring from the NFL, and found his breakout role in the 2017 drama biopic Crown Heights, which debuted to generally favorable reviews at Sundance Film Festival in 2017.
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Thompson, who broke out on the scene with the 2014 indie comedy Dear White People, has been finding larger success with lead and supporting roles over the past five years, including the 2015 sports drama Creed and its 2018 sequel, the 2017 Marvel blockbuster hit Thor: Ragnarok, the 2018 indie sci-fi dramedy Sorry to Bother You and the 2018 sci-fi thriller Annihilation.
She will next be seen in the highly-anticipated Marvel sequel Avengers: Endgame, which will hit theaters on April 26, the reboot sequel of the sci-fi franchise Men in Black International, which is set for a June 14 release, the live-action remake of the Disney classic Lady and the Tramp, which is expected to debut on Disney+ sometime later this year, and the third season of the HBO sci-fi hit Westworld, which is expected to premiere late 2020.
