Theo Leber Lands Lead Role Opposite Dwayne Johnson in Benny Safdie's 'Lizard Music'

Ten-year-old Theo Leber has been cast in a starring role opposite Dwayne Johnson in Benny Safdie’s upcoming film Lizard Music, according to Deadline.

The Chicago-area fourth grader will make his feature debut in the project, a live-action/CGI hybrid adaptation of the 1976 novel by Daniel Pinkwater for Amazon MGM Studios and United Artists. He landed the part after a months-long casting process.

What is 'Lizard Music' about?

The film follows a boy, played by Leber, who discovers a secret late-night TV broadcast of lizards playing music. This leads him to an eccentric old man known as the Chicken Man, played by Johnson, and his companion, a chicken named Claudia. Together, they embark on an adventure to find a hidden society.

Who is making the film?

Benny Safdie, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role in The Smashing Machine, wrote the screenplay and will direct. Producers include Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt for United Artists, Safdie for Out for the Count Productions, Johnson for Seven Bucks Productions, and David Koplan for Magnetic Fields Entertainment.

Leber, an up-and-comer from Evanston, Illinois, was recently seen in a production of Leopoldstadt at the Writers Theatre in Glencoe. His representatives include Matt Fletcher at Arise Artist Agency and Laura Alexander at Talent X Alexander.