“Word to your mother!” Dave Franco playing Vanilla Ice in biopic

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

This is not a joke! Dave Franco is set to play Vanilla Ice in a biopic called TO THE EXTREME. The film is written by Chris Goodwin and Phillip Van and titled after Vanilla Ice's 1990 album.

Franco spoke about taking on the role while doing an interview with the "Insider" and he's comparing the project to his brother's critically acclaimed film, THE DISASTER ARTIST. In that film, Dave Franco co-starred with his brother James Franco who played the offbeat and eccentric Tommy Wiseau. The movie chronicled the making of Wiseau's THE ROOM, which has gone on to be considered "the Citizen Kane of bad movies." Franco had this to say about comparisons to that film and his turn as Vanilla Ice in TO THE EXTREME:

"With that movie, people expected us to make a broad comedy where we make fun of Tommy Wiseau, but the more real we played it, the funnier and heartfelt it was — that's the tone we want for this one as well."

Franco also admitted that as the film gets closer to getting into production, he has spoken with Robert Van Winkle, aka, Vanilla Ice, and he says that the "Ice Ice Baby" hitmaker has been completely sweet about the project:

Rob is such a sweet and intelligent guy and he's been super helpful in the process of getting all the details correct and making us privy to information the public doesn't know. Just talking to him I can't help but think about the rabbit holes I'm going to go down to get ready for the role."

When the project landed on 2018's The Blacklist, an annual list of unproduced screenplays voted to be favorites amongst film executives and those working in Hollywood, the logline for the film read as follows: "From a high school dropout selling used cars in Dallas to having the first hip hop single to top the Billboard charts with Ice Ice Baby, a young Vanilla Ice struggles with stardom, extortion attempts, and selling out as he makes music history."

There is no official start date for production at this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic but Franco seems stoked to jump into this project next. At the moment, Franco is promoting his directorial debut THE RENTAL, which stars his wife Alison Brie and Dan Stevens. That film hits select drive-ins and PVOD beginning tomorrow.

Are YOU all in with Dave Franco as Vanilla Ice?