Nick Jonas Gives Us a First Look at His Role in the 'Jersey Boys' Movie
One thing's for sure–we can't take our eyes off of him.
Long before he was a Disney Channel star, L'OFFICIEL cover boy Nick Jonas got his start performing on Broadway, and he will be returning to his theatre roots, starring as Frankie Valli in the upcoming Jersey Boys movie musical.
Originally acting in Broadway productions of Les Misérables and Beauty and the Beast, Jonas shared a sneak peek of his “dream role” with a picture on his social media accounts, revealing his other cast members.
“The past couple months I’ve been in Cleveland playing my dream role as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys!” he captioned his Instagram photo. “With our incredible cast and crew, we worked tirelessly to create an amazing musical movie event for you all. Stay tuned for more exciting news.”
Alongside Jonas are CJ Pawlikowski, Matt Bogart, and Andy Karl, who will be playing Bob Gaudio, Nick Massi, and Tommy DeVito, respectively, but they’re not new to these roles or acting. Pawlikowski played Gaudio in the off-Broadway production and was in The Book of Mormon national tour, while Bogart has previously played Nick Massi in the Broadway production and has starred in the Broadway productions of Miss Saigon and Aida. Additionally, Karl is a three-time Tony nominee, acting in Rocky and Groundhog Day, previously playing the role of Tommy DeVito on Broadway. Also pictured is the musical’s director, Des McAnuff, who directed the original Jersey Boys Broadway production.
Frankie Valli himself is thrilled, confirming in June with Today that Jonas would be playing him in the movie musical. “[Jersey Boys] is being filmed for television and Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers is playing Frankie, and I'm really excited about that,” he said. In July, Jonas shared a TikTok to his Instagram of the first day of tech rehearsal for the film.
The four-time Tony Award-winning musical is a biography of the Four Seasons, the blue-collar boys who formed a rock 'n' roll group with many ups and downs, ultimately becoming extremely successful. Jonas, of course, is playing the frontman with a stellar falsetto. The musical began its Broadway run in 2005 and is storied through four separate parts, or “seasons,” narrated by each band member. With original music by Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe, and the book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, the show ran for over 10 years and became the twelfth longest-running Broadway show ever.
Although the film has been filming on a stage in Cleveland, we’re still waiting on a release date with additional casting, and the movie has not been confirmed to release on any streaming services yet.