Three-time Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce is making moves in Hollywood as a producer for the indie film, “My Dead Friend Zoe,” leveraging President Joe Biden’s renewable energy tax credits, according to a report by Variety on Tuesday.
The 34-year-old Kansas City Chiefs player serves as an executive producer for the dark comedy, which boasts a star-studded cast including Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Ed Harris, and Morgan Freeman. Costing less than $10 million to produce, the war drama, penned by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes and A.J. Bermudez, is set to premiere in March and is based on Hausmann-Stokes’ short film “Merit x Zoe.”
This marks Kelce’s debut in the film industry and is also the first movie project to utilize the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act to secure funding, as per reports.
President Biden’s legislation, deemed as the largest investment in climate and energy in U.S. history by the US Department of Energy, aims to tackle the climate crisis, advance environmental justice, and propel America towards a net-zero economy by 2050.
Kelce is collaborating with green energy entrepreneurs Mike Field and Ray Maiello to support the film project. Maiello, a former Netflix executive, highlighted how Biden’s initiative has mitigated risks associated with Hollywood ventures, making independent filmmaking more feasible.
The trio is adopting a similar strategy for their upcoming documentary on Jean-Michel Basquiat titled, “King Pleasure.”
Kelce’s foray into entertainment doesn’t come as a surprise, given his previous stint on the reality dating series, “Catching Kelce,” and the success of his podcast, “New Heights,” co-hosted with his brother, Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles.
As Kelce ventures further into Hollywood, he may draw inspiration from his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, who has produced successful films like “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” which became the highest-grossing concert film in 2023. With his agents laying the groundwork for his ascent to stardom, Kelce’s star power is undoubtedly on the rise.
