'Shotgun Wedding' casts Josh Duhamel after Armie Hammer exit: report

Josh Duhamel is said to be in final talks to star in "Shotgun Wedding" opposite Jennifer Lopez.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 48-year-old "Safe Haven" star is now in negotiations with Lionsgate. Lopez reportedly had a say in his involvement in the film as his name was floated early on during the casting process.

"Shotgun Wedding" is a romantic action-comedy film that follows Darcy (Lopez) and Tom (Duhamel) who gather their family for the ultimate destination wedding even as they started to get cold feet. To make things worse, everyone's lives are suddenly put in danger when the entire group is taken hostage.

Jason Moore ("Pitch Perfect") directs the film from a script by Liz Meriwether ("New Girl") and Mark Hammer. Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman ("Wonder") are producing along with Benny Medina, Lopez, and Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas. Ryan Reynolds is also executive producing along with George Dewey while James Myers and Scott O'Brien are overseeing the production for Lionsgate. If Duhamel agrees to be in "Shotgun Wedding" then the film is likely going to keep its February start date.

News of Duhamel's casting in "Shotgun Wedding" comes just a week after Armie Hammer exited the project. The "Call Me By Your Name" star and Lopez were expected to lead the cast when the film was announced at the American Film Market in Fall 2020. They were scheduled to fly to the Dominican Republic and shoot there for four months.

However, Hammer found himself the victim of what he labeled as "vicious and spurious online attacks" after his salacious private DMs to an unknown woman leaked online. The messages included talks about sexual fetishes, BDSM, and even cannibalism was mentioned.

The "Rebecca" star recently also apologised to the Cayman Island Miss Universe committee after he called a scantily-clad woman in his leaked video "Miss Cayman." He admitted that he does not know who Miss Cayman is and apologised for the confusion caused by his attempt at "foolish humour."

As for Duhamel, apart from possibly appearing in "Shotgun Wedding," fans can catch him lead the cast in the Netflix series "Jupiter's Legacy." His other credits include "Win a Date With Ted Hamilton!" and "Love Simon."