After long hiatus, Dev Patel starrer ‘Chippendales’ moves ahead with production

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Versatile actor Dev Patel, who plays roles as diverse as a spunky slum dweller in Slumdog Millionaire to David Copperfield, is going to be seen on screen in a true story of an Indian bar owner’s success in Los Angeles, as production moves forward on ‘Chippendales’ with Craig Gillespie as director.

Variety magazine reported that Gillespie, of the 2017 Oscar-winning film “I, Tonya,” fame has agreed officially to direct Chippendales.

Steve Banerjee, played by Patel, is an Indian immigrant who acquires the struggling L.A. club Destiny II, and by introducing all kinds of brash acts, some of them, first of their kind in the country, is able to transform the business into one that brings him $8 million in revenue annually. But like all good things, his fortunes go down amid equally bizarre events involving his girlfriend and his business partner.

The film has been in development for two decades Variety reported.

The supporting role of Banerjee’s business partner, Nick Denoia has yet not been cast. Ben Stiller was originally in talks to play the part, but that didn’t happen, the news report said.

Patel has done well for himself, choosing exclusive roles that have won him the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Lion (2016).

In 2019, Patel starred as David Copperfield in Armando Iannucci’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ The Personal History of David Copperfield. Patel’s other upcoming ventures include The Green Knight directed by David Lowery.