Paul Bettany to Play Ageing Pop Star in Music Comedy 'It's Alright'
Paul Bettany will play an ageing pop star in a new feel-good comedy called It's Alright, and he is also one of its writers. Variety reported the casting on 3 November 2026.
Bettany plays Peter Sayer, the pop star at the centre of the story. He co-wrote the script with Scott Stewart, who will also direct. The two have worked together before. Stewart directed Bettany in Legion and Priest.
Asha Banks has been cast as Georgie, Bettany's estranged daughter. Georgie is 19 and an aspiring singer-songwriter. Banks will also write original songs for the film. Colin Firth and Gugu Mbatha-Raw are also cast to star.
The film is described as being about the power of music to inspire, heal hearts and unite a family. It is a comedy, and its pitch rests on that mix of humour and music.
On the business side, Protagonist Pictures is launching international sales on the film ahead of the American Film Market. That market is where sales companies show projects to buyers from other countries, often before a single frame is shot. CAA Media Finance is representing the U.S. rights, meaning the right to release the film in the United States.
Production is scheduled to begin in early 2027. Marius de Vries will produce the original soundtrack, and Universal Music will release it, so the music is planned as a record in its own right alongside the film.
The film is produced by Raindog Films and Pacesetter Productions. Trish D Chetty, Ged Doherty and Jessica Rhoades are producers. Alison Mo Massey, Paul Bettany and Hélène Theodoly are executive producers, alongside Dave Bishop, George Hamilton and James Pugh of Protagonist Pictures.
For a project still a year or more from cameras, the announcement is mostly about who is attached and who will sell it. The next concrete markers are the sales push at the American Film Market and the start of shooting in early 2027.
