Lenny Kravitz and Gavin Rossdale Board Vito Schnabel’s Dark Comedy ‘The Trainer’

Vito Schnabel‘s dark comedy that once seemed like a pipe dream can now boast a robust cast of stars. Legendary rock singer/songwriter Lenny Kravitz (Lee Daniels’ The Butler), Gavin Rossdale (The Bling Ring), Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting), Beverly D’Angelo (Violent Night), and Colleen Camp (Back on the Strip) have all boarded the production of The Trainer. All five will star alongside Schnabel in the latest film from American History X director Tony Kaye. Currently, there’s no word on what roles they’ll play in Schnabel’s story.

Written by Schnabel and Jeff Solomon, The Trainer spans eight chaotic, sleep-deprived days following the down-on-his-luck fitness trainer Jack (Schnabel). While living in Los Angeles with his mother, Jack gets desperate to escape his situation and takes a shot at finding fame and fortune. His maniacal attempts at making it big are all in pursuit of what he sees as the American dream. It took nearly a decade to develop, but the film is finally in production.

The Trainer is quickly garnering a loaded roster, with Kravitz, Rossdale, Van Sant, D’Angelo, and Camp joining the previously announced Julia Fox, Steven Van Zandt, Taylour Paige, Stephen Dorff, John McEnroe, Gina Gershon, Luka Sabbat, Soo Joo Park, Brock O’Hurn, Bella Thorne, Laird Hamilton, and Duke Nicholson. Schnabel and Kaye are both producing the film with Jeremy Steckler alongside them and George Paaswell on as an executive producer.

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With Kravitz and Rossdale in particular, Schnabel will have a couple of prominent musicians alongside him on set. Kravitz has 11 studio albums under his belt and set a record at the Grammys for most consecutive wins by a male artist in a category with four straight wins for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. He’s also proven himself a solid actor with appearances in The Hunger Games franchise, Zoolander, Entourage, and Better Things. Rossdale also has a rock background, forming the group Bush in 1992 before going solo. He even shared the screen with Kravitz back in Zoolander and has since had roles in Constantine, Little Black Book, and Hawaii Five-0.

Van Sant, meanwhile, is more well-known as a filmmaker and director for films like Psycho, Good Will Hunting, Elephant, and My Own Private Idaho, though he’s no stranger to acting either. He acts in a few of his own movies as well as in Entourage and Portlandia among others. D’Angelo brings with her an Emmy and Oscar nomination and is a known quantity for Kaye due to appearing in American History X. She can count The Good House, The Unicorn, and Dreamland among her credits and she’ll next be seen with David Harbour in Violent Night. Camp rounds out the newcomers with appearances in Wayne’s World, Die Hard With a Vengeance, Clue, and, more recently, Violet. Her next major appearance will be alongside Christina Ricci in Monstrous.

The Trainer is currently in production and eyeing a 2023 release date.

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