A Riverdale actor has signed on to play Hollywood legend Jimmy Stewart in a biopic about the actor’s life, Screen Rant reports. Born in 1908, Stewart had a long varied career working across genres with multiple directors such as It’s a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington with Frank Capra, Rear Window, Vertigo, and The Man Who Knew Too Much with Alfred Hitchcock, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance with John Ford, and winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for The Philadelphia Story under George Cukor. He also enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, becoming a combat pilot and leading the 2nd Combat Bombardment Wing during World War II. He would pass away in 1997 at the age of 89.
Now, KJ Apa, who played Archie Andrews for seven seasons on the CW series adaptation of the popular comic character, has signed on to portray Stewart on the big screen.
Titled Jimmy, the biopic will follow the actor’s rise in Hollywood, his enlistment and fighting in World War II, and eventually returning home at war’s end to make It’s a Wonderful Life in 1946.
Apa discussed his excitement about the casting, saying:
“…I’ve long admired that generation of American men who stood for patriotism, integrity, and a deep sense of duty. It is important to me to give back to a country that has given me so much, and what better way to do that than by honoring a man who served it with great honor.”
Stewart’s daughter, Kelly Stewart-Harcourt, who will be an executive producer on the project, also talked about Apa’s casting:
“My family and I are delighted and excited that KJ Apa has agreed to play my father in this film. In addition to his considerable acting skills, KJ’s enthusiasm for the project will only add to the energy and depth he will bring to the role.”
Joining Apa in the cast will be Jason Alexander as Louis B. Mayer, Max Casella as Frank Capra, Sarah Drew as Hedda Hopper, Julian Works as Second Lieutenant Martinez, and Jen Lilley as his wife, Gloria Rankin Stewart.
Directed and produced by Aaron Burns, Jimmy is scheduled to begin production in West Cork, Ireland, on September 1st, with a release date set for November 2026.
