‘Jimmy’: KJ Apa to Play Jimmy Stewart in New Biopic!!

KJ Apa, Riverdale‘s Archie Andrews, is set to play an American icon of a different kind. He’s signed to play the lead in Jimmy, a new biopic of actor James Stewart. Stewart was one of the biggest stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and portraying him is a daunting task that Apa feels capable of. The film is set to begin production in Ireland in September, and is aiming for a theatrical release in September 2026.

Variety reports that the film will focus on Stewart‘s career in the 1930s and 40s, which was interrupted by World War II: Stewart became the first major American movie star to sign up for military service, and flew a number of missions in the European theater of war. The film will also feature Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) as MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer, Max Casella (Tulsa King) as It’s a Wonderful Life director Frank Capra, Sarah Drew (Grey’s Anatomy) as Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, Jen Lilley (Days of Our Lives) as Stewart‘s wife Gloria, and Julian Works (9-1-1: Lone Star) as First Lieutenant Martinez. Says Apa, “I have always been a huge James Stewart fan and feel so honored I get to bring his story to life.”

Who Is James Stewart?

Born in Indiana, Pennsylvania in 1908, Stewart acted on stage on the East Coast before being scouted by MGM talent agents and signed to a contract. Relocating to Hollywood, he gradually worked his way up the chain, playing bit parts and supporting roles, earning his first starring role in Vivacious Lady, opposite Ginger Rogers. Soon, he partnered with director Frank Capra for a string of classic films, including You Can’t Take It With You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and, after his war service, It’s a Wonderful Life. With his shy manner and nervous drawl, he was seen as a classic everyman. Later, after the war, he took on more complex roles, including Rear Window and Vertigo for Alfred Hitchcock, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance for John Ford. He was nominated for five Oscars over the course of his career, winning one in 1940 for The Philadelphia Story; he was also awarded an Honorary Oscar in 1984. He died in 1997 at age 89.

Jimmy will be directed by Aaron Burns (Birthright Outlaw), from a script by Justin Strawhand. Burns and Strawhand will also produce alongside David Cook, Angela Galgani Sullivan, and John Norton of Redted Media. Executive producers include Andre Caraco, Jack McClintock, Bob Gordon, Sam Juergens, Amy K. Mitchell, Edwina Forkin, Kip Konwiser, Walter Krumm III, Brian Williams, and Stewart‘s daughter, Kelly Stewart-Harcourt.