Parody of action hero Kevin Hart’s “Die Hart” brings some new faces to season two of Roku’s original comedy: John Cena, Ben Schwartz, and Paula Pell join the cast of “Die Hart 2: Die Harter,” the streaming company announced .
In addition to the new cast, Nathalie Emmanuel will reprise her role in the second season. Eric Appel returns to direct action with Tripper Clancy’s return as writer. Production of “Die Hart 2: Die Harter” began in Atlanta. The series will be streamed for free (with ads) on the Roku channel but no premiere date has been set.
In the first season of “Die Hart,” co-starring John Travolta, Hart played a fictional version of himself who eventually fulfilled his dream of becoming a true action hero. In Season 2, Hart now wants to cement his legacy as the greatest action star of all time. He developed a concept for a revolutionary film where the action is so unscripted and unexpected that Kevin would never know what would happen next. But seeing Kevin comes to a blind spot, he soon finds himself the victim of a vicious revenge plot, orchestrated by someone from his past. To survive, Hart must enlist the help of his favorite star, King of Jordan (Emmanuel), his overbearing assistant Andre (Schwartz), Andre’s mother Cynthia (Bell) and legendary Hollywood acrobatic businessman Mr. 206 (Sina).
“I am so happy to be back in Atlanta to work with Kevin and Natalie and the amazing new cast,” Abel said. “The scope of this second season seems much greater – it’s more entertaining, it’s more action packed, and our fictional version of Kevin Hart is 100 times more petty and selfish in his ongoing quest to become an ‘authentic’ action hero.”
Cena is a WWE Superstar whose credits include “Peacemaker”, “The Suicide Squad”, “F9: The Fast Saga” and “Vacation Friends”. Schwartz is best known for his role in “Parks and Recreation”. He appeared in “The Afterparty” and “Space Force” and is the voice of “Sonic the Hedgehog” in the Paramount movie franchise. Bell was a longtime writer for “Saturday Night Live,” with acting credits that include “Girls5eva,” “AP Bio,” and “Big Mouth.”
The first season of “Die Hart” premiered on Roku in May 2021 after the company took over the show through its acquisition of Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Quibi Assets, after closing the short video subscription business. Roku said a record number of families aired the series in its infancy and requested a second season, becoming the first Roku original series to be renewed by the company.
Hart also serves as the executive producer of “Die Hart 2”. His media company Hartbeat is producing the series, and Jeff Clanagan, Candice Wilson Cherry, Brian Smiley, Ty Randolph, Mike Stein, Luke Kelly Klein, Kevin Healy and Ty Walker will serve as executive producers.
Season 1 of “Die Hart” earned three Emmy nominations in 2021 in the miniseries categories for actor (Kevin Hart and John Travolta) and actress (Natalie Emmanuel).
“This franchise has just brought Natalie Emmanuel and Kevin Hart back to life with the addition of Paula Bell, Ben Schwartz, and John Cena,” said Colin Davis, Head of Written Originals for Roku Channel. “The group has been filled with constant laughter from this mixture of comedic talent, and it’s just the latest example of our amazing creative relationship and our growing partnership with Hartbeat.”
Brian Smiley, Chief Content Officer, Heartbeat, added, “Heartbeat is excited to expand into the funny, action-packed world created by our cast and creative team. The feedback we’ve received from fans who continue to discover and hype the series has been amazing, and is a testament to the Roku channel’s audience reach. Astonishing.”
Pictured above (from left to right): Kevin Hart, John Cena, Ben Schwartz, Paula Bell
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