Keke “Keep a job” Palmer has just secured another bag. Yesterday (March 16), the singer and actress shared online that she will star in and co-produce Kevin Hart’s comedy The Backup, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He will also serve as a producer through his Hartbeat Productions division. The upcoming featured film is currently in development at Universal Pictures. Written by Chris Brew and Jordan Gouveia, The Backup follows “player-at-heart Ben, who decides he’s finally ready to settle down with his childhood friend Alyssa [Palmer]. But she then reveals she’s engaged to a handsome billionaire and needs him to be her best man. In return, Ben sets out to Maui with his boys to outshine her fiancé and win her back.”
Joining Palmer and Hart behind-the-scenes as producers are Hartbeat’s Bryan Smiley, Sharon Palmer under her Big Boss Entertainment banner, and Autumn Bailey-Ford through her company, Autumn Bailey Entertainment. Patricia Braga and Kayla Stamps of Hartbeat will serve as executive producers. Along with sharing the news of her new forthcoming film, Palmer thanked the Philadelphia native and his team for giving her the opportunity. “Kevin Hart, you are a boss!! Shout out to [Ford], [Brew], [Smiley] and the whole Hartbeat [team]. Thank you for everything. Most importantly [for] giving me the opportunity to constantly level up and expand outside of being a talent but a businesswoman. I so appreciate you all!” Palmer captioned her Instagram post.
And speaking of being a businesswoman, Palmer launched KeyTV, her digital network, in 2022. When REVOLT got a chance to chat with the multihyphenate in January 2023, she stated that she wants to establish relationships and help the next generation break into the TV/film industry with her new business. “My goal for KeyTV is to be consistent because it’s a self-starting venture — while I have people working with me, nobody is telling us when we need to invest time into the network because we’re doing it ourselves,” Palmer stated. “I foresee the network having long relationships with creators and introducing new creators. I also want to establish relationships with brands and create a pathway to teach and train the next generation to break into this industry.”