NEED TO KNOW
Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell are bringing their comedic chemistry back to the big screen!
The Jan. 20 episode of Good Sports featured a surprise as Mitchell, 47, joined Thompson, also 47, on the Prime Video sports talk show. That wasn’t the only surprise in store, however, with the beloved All That alums announcing their new film.
The duo will star in and produce Kenan & Kel Meet Frankenstein, a modern horror comedy co-produced by Artists for Artists and Range Media Partners. Production on the film is set to begin this summer.
“Kel and I have always loved finding new ways to work together, and this project felt like the perfect mix of nostalgia, comedy, and something completely unexpected,” said Thompson. “We’re excited to bring a fresh take on a classic monster story and have some fun doing it.”
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“Coming back together always feels natural, and this lets us tap into everything people love about our dynamic while trying something totally new,” added Mitchell. “It’s funny, it’s scary, and it’s a great ride.”
Inspired by the classic Abbott and Costello monster films, the film will follow two delivery drivers whose routine drop-off takes a terrifying turn when they arrive at a creepy castle and accidentally awaken Frankenstein’s monster — turning an ordinary night into a fight for survival.
Also starring in the film are Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Carter Swan, and Artists for Artists partner John Ryan Jr. The script is written by Jonah Feingold.
“First it was Abbott and Costello, then Pryor and Wilder. Kenan and Kel,” said Ryan. “Think Shaun of the Dead meets Scooby-Doo.”
Alex Lange and Matt Lange
The pair spoke with PEOPLE in 2023, after reuniting for Good Burger 2, about rekindling their friendship after growing distant as adults.
According to the Saturday Night Live mainstay, “time” is what eventually allowed them to grow close again but it had been “ridiculously too long.”
Mitchell, who compared their time apart to the experience of childhood friends who “go off [to] college,” recalled a game-changing phone call that previously occurred between the two that ultimately put them back on the right track.
“I think we had a conversation on the phone one time. I remember that conversation,” the Game Shakers alum said. “We talked for at least about an hour or two and just was like, ‘Yeah, man.’ We’re talking about everything. And that bond was there, which I think is awesome. It’s cool to see the dynamic of us as adults. Kenan and Kel as adults.”
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Thompson says their friendship is “more solid than it ever was, if that was even possible.”
“We were so bonded when we were young because we spent so much time working. And we spent so much time hanging out together as well, because we were very similar in our families. We’re so close,” he shared. “But now since it’s been a departure and a return, it’s like there will never be another departure. You know what I mean? We’ve already experienced the mysteries of, well, what if I went off and you went off and you did this? We’ve seen what that is.”
Thompson added, “Now, there’s no fear of it or there’s no feeling of we’re missing out on any kind of thing or whatever. It’s such a pleasure and that guaranteed ‘somebody’s got your back’ feeling at any given moment in the room. Everything is just easy.”
