LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Social media celebrity Jake Paul, who is also a professional boxer, has amassed a worldwide reputation after conquering social media with his Vines and YouTube channel but now is making his foray into the feature film business with his first acting job in a sports combat drama backed by Mandalay Pictures and Wonder Street. The film follows a small-town youth rising to international fame through combat sports which is eerily similar to Paul’s life.
Paul, 26, has a massive following on YouTube of more than 20 million subscribers. However, before making his debut in movies, Paul’s starred in a series named ‘Bizaardvark’ that aired on the Disney Channel. But that’s not all the fame that Jake has enjoyed. He also has a couple of trysts with law enforcement authorities. In 2020, Paul was arrested and charged with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly in Arizona, and only recently he was charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with promoting cryptocurrencies without disclosing that he had been paid to do so. Feature film is a new exciting leap in Paul’s career but the man who rose from the ashes is being panned by his fans for his jump into features. For them, Paul doesn’t has the stomach to lead a feature film and a few of these fans took to Twitter to give Paul a bashing outside the ring and in the virtual world.
‘First movie to sell 0 tickets’
Speaking to Variety, Paul mentioned, “I’m thrilled to be partnering with Mandalay Pictures and Wonder Street on my first feature film project,” said Paul. “Both companies have proven track records of producing high-quality content that resonates with audiences, and I couldn’t be more excited to work with such talented and experienced teams.” He ended his statement with, “I can’t wait to bring this unique story and my brand to the big screen.” Unfortunately, the fans did not share his enthusiasm and failed to see eye to eye with him.
One user posted, "No ones gonna watch some man child embarrases himself even more massive L". Raining on Paul’s parade, one fan wrote, “Wonder what the Rotten Tomatoes score for it will be.” Another chipped in with a harsh prediction. “First movie to sell 0 tickets,” but was reminded by another that, “It’ll sell some because little kids will force their disappointed parents to take them.” There was also a fan who had a name for this film. “What are they going to call it? Jake Mile?,” but one user simply used Martin Scorsese’s “This is not cinema” meme to put his point across. However, there was one user who revealed the true reason behind Paul’s success after learning that he will star in his feature film. “Odd choice, considering Jake Paul rose to fame by annoying and harassing people.”
The many ventures of Jake Paul
Paul is a man for all seasons. In a world where people fail to accomplish one goal, Paul has made his mark in sports betting by launching a company named ‘Betr’, has endured a short career in professional boxing, grown his social media beyond anyone’s wildest dreams, hosts a weekly talk show titled ‘BS with Jake Paul’, and now despite all the flak is making headway into films. His efforts are laudable as producer David Zelon also mentioned in his statement. “Like many other superstar content creators, Jake cracked the code to attract an audience that generates hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue while also delivering his story in a way that connects directly with audiences of all ages.” But it remains to be seen whether his foray into films will be appreciated or thrashed by the fans as they did on hearing the news.
