‘House Party’ Reboot Finds Its Female Lead

The forthcoming House Party reboot has found its female lead, adding Karen Obilom (Doom Patrol) to the cast. According to Variety, Obilom joins Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (Spider-Man: Far From Home), Tosin Cole (Doctor Who), and DC Young Fly (Wild ‘N Out) in a reimagining of the hit 1990 comedy. While details around story-specifics are scarce, the new House Party is being helmed by famed music video director Calmatic, who made Lil Nas X’s video for “Old Town Road.”

Additionally, the film is being written by Atlanta scribes Stephen Glover and Jamal Olori, and is produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter through the NBA star’s production company, SpringHill Entertainment. The original House Party starred Christopher “Kid” Reid and Christopher “Play” Martin of hip hop duo Kid ‘n Play. It also featured Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, A.J. Johnson, Kelly Jo Minter, and John Witherspoon. Daryl “Chill” Mitchell and Gene “Groove” Allen (of Groove B. Chill) also appeared, as did icon funk musician George Clinton, in a cameo.

The original House Party is fairly unique, in that it was a financial success — earning over $26 million on a budget of less than $3 million — and it was critically acclaimed, but somehow still became more of a cult classic than finding the initial widespread appreciation it deserved. The film spawned two cinematic sequels: House Party 2 (1991) and House Party 3 (1994). In 2001, House Party 4: Down to the Last Minute was released as a direct-to-video sequel of the franchise but did not feature any of the original cast. The most recent entry was 2013’s House Party: Tonight’s the Night, which did have appearances from Kid ‘n Play.

In a previous statement, James clarified what the purpose and plan are for the new film, saying that it “definitely” is “not a reboot.” He added, “It’s an entirely new look for a classic movie.” There is no word on if Kid ‘n Play will reprise their roles this time around, consider the nature of the movie, but there has been talk of Drake possibly turning up.

“Everyone I grew up with loved House Party,” James went on to share. “To partner with this creative team to bring a new House Party to a new generation is unbelievable. Listen, it’s fun, it’s an honor when I got the opportunity to produce it, reboot the whole movie, man, I had so much fun as a kid watching that movie.”