Puppy LovestarsLucy Haleand The CW’sThe Flashstar Grant Gustin in a romantic comedy that follows dog owners Nicole (Hale) and Max (Gustin), who after a failed date, are forced to interact and rekindle their relationship when their dogs fall in love. Now, in an interview withTVInsider, Lucy Hale has explained the reason behind her dog’s name in the film, ‘Channing Tatum,’ and why they decided not to go for the arguably better name of ‘Mutt Damon.’
“So we had a lot of names that we went through, but there were a couple of scenes that unfortunately didn’t make the cut of the movie that fill in that blank. But it’s kind of funny that the first time you hear, it is Grant saying, “Oh, this must be Channing Tatum,” when we meet. And you’re like, “Wait, what?” But some of the other ones ranged from Mark Ruffalo to Mutt Damon. Mutt Damon is really good. I don’t know who eventually decided on Channing Tatum, but it’s pretty funny. There are a lot of one-liners with the name that makes it hysterical.”
Hale’s comedic instincts are reminiscent of an era in Hollywood where dogs that starred in rom-coms were often named after real-life celebrities. Famous examples of this tradition include Holly Hunter’s cat named Linda Blair (The Exorcist) in Steven Spielberg’s 1989 romanceAlways, andSex and the City’s Kristin Davis’ dog named Richard Burton (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woof?). While not a real person, Katherine Heigl’s character famously named her cat D’Artagnan after the protagonist ofThe Three MusketeersinThe Ugly Truth(2009). Hale’s decision to name her dog Channing Tatum refreshes the classic comedic tradition for the Gen Z audience.
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What’s Next For the Two Rising Stars?
So what’s next for the two rising stars at the center ofPuppy Love? Lucy Hale will star and produce the upcoming romantic comedy film adaptation ofWhich Brings Me to You,which will be directed by Peter Hutchings and co-star Nat Wolff. Hale will play a freelance journalist, Jane, who meets photoWill (Wolff), a photographer, at a mutual friend’s wedding. Romance blossoms between the two over 24 hours as they share secrets about their past and previous romantic partners. The film was acquired by BCDF Pictures in 2022. It is currently in post-production, but release date information has yet to be revealed.
As for Gustin, sincethe last episode of CW’sThe Flashaired this year on May 24 after nine seasons, his next project isOperation Blue Eyes,directed by Joe Mantegna. The story follows a series of events in 1964 when a depressed Frank Sinatra Jr. is kidnapped by a desperate wannabe stockbroker Barry Keenan (Gustin). The film will be produced by Jack Nasser, Joe Nasser, and Jacob Nasser of Nasser Group, and Kirk Shaw with Wonderfilm.
Puppy Loveis now streaming on Freevee on the Amazon Prime Video streaming platform. You canread the MovieWeb review here.
