Grammy Award-winning British singer-songwriter Raye is expanding her artistic footprint into the cinematic realm, officially joining the cast and creative team of Benny Safdie’s upcoming feature film, Lizard Music. According to reports from Deadline, Raye will not only voice a role in the high-profile adaptation but will also compose and produce original music for the project. The film, which promises to be a visually distinct hybrid of live-action filmmaking and computer-generated imagery (CGI), has cemented one of the most eclectic and star-studded ensemble casts in recent Hollywood development history.
Alongside Raye, the production features an expansive roster of acclaimed actors and public figures, including Dwayne Johnson—who is also serving as a producer on the film—Theo Leber, Alicia Silverstone, Tim Heidecker, Arya Parvathi, Regina Hall, Colman Domingo, Jeff Goldblum, Rachel McAdams, David Krumholtz, and Andrew Dice Clay. With such a robust talent pool attached, Lizard Music is already shaping up to be a major cultural and box-office event ahead of its scheduled theatrical release on December 25, 2027.
The Literary Origins and Narrative Premise
Lizard Music is directly adapted from the beloved 1976 children’s and young adult novel of the same name by Daniel Pinkwater. Pinkwater, an exceptionally prolific and idiosyncratic author known for his absurdist humor and imaginative storytelling, has long maintained a cult following. His original novel follows the surreal, madcap adventures of a young boy named Victor (played in the film adaptation by Theo Leber), who feels largely alienated from the mundane realities of his everyday life.
The core inciting incident of the narrative occurs when Victor stumbles upon a late-night television broadcast featuring an extraordinary sight: a band of intelligent lizards performing bizarre, unearthly music across the airwaves. Driven by curiosity and a desire to find answers in a universe that feels increasingly incomprehensible, Victor embarks on an unconventional quest. Along the way, he crosses paths with an eccentric, self-taught older man known simply as the Chicken Man, as well as the Chicken Man’s closest confidante—an astonishingly articulate octogenarian chicken named Claudia.
Benny Safdie, who rose to prominence alongside his brother Josh Safdie as the co-director of high-anxiety, critically lauded independent thrillers such as Uncut Gems and Good Time, has penned the screenplay. Safdie’s distinct auteur style, which frequently explores themes of obsession, urban grit, and hyper-fixation, will be fascinating to witness as it intersects with Pinkwater’s whimsical, avant-garde children’s literature.
A Collaborative Production Heavyweight
Behind the camera, Lizard Music boasts an impressive powerhouse of producers and executive stakeholders representing several major production banners. The project is a collaborative effort involving Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt under the United Artists umbrella; Benny Safdie through his Out for the Count Productions banner; Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia representing Seven Bucks Productions; and David Koplan via Magnetic Fields Entertainment.
The involvement of such seasoned producers indicates that despite the project’s inherently eccentric and whimsical premise, the studios are backing the film with substantial resources, marketing infrastructure, and logistical support. The fusion of Safdie’s distinctively tense directorial sensibilities with the family-friendly, fantastical narrative of Lizard Music suggests that the film will attempt to bridge the gap between arthouse innovation and mainstream, holiday-season blockbuster appeal.
Raye’s Rapid Ascent in Film and Music
For Raye, whose legal name is Rachel Keen, her involvement in Lizard Music marks a significant milestone in a career that has experienced a meteoric upward trajectory over the past several years. Raye famously fought through years of industry roadblocks, independent label disputes, and corporate delays before breaking away to release her fiercely independent debut studio album, My 21st Century Blues, in 2023. That record shattered expectations, earning her a historic six Brit Awards in a single night and establishing her as one of the most formidable vocalists and songwriters of her generation.
In May, following the release of her widely acclaimed second studio album, This Music May Contain Hope, Raye’s transition into acting became official. It was announced that she had secured a role in the Yann Demange-directed crime feature Lineage, a gritty London-based drama. That project marked her first scripted dramatic film role, following minor television appearances where she played fictionalized versions of herself, such as in an episode of the Netflix series Black Rabbit.
Adding to her dominant year, Raye’s massive hit single "Where Is My Husband!", pulled from This Music May Contain Hope, has quickly become a critical darling and a leading frontrunner for Song of the Year consideration at the upcoming Grammy Awards. By taking on both a voice acting role and original composition duties for Lizard Music, Raye is effectively fusing her dual identities as a powerhouse musical artist and a burgeoning cinematic talent.
Chronology of Development and Strategic Rollout
The genesis of the Lizard Music adaptation has been quietly gestating within development circles for some time, but public awareness surged as Safdie and his production partners assembled the sprawling cast throughout late 2025 and 2026. By anchoring the film’s release date to Christmas Day in 2027, the studio is signaling supreme confidence in its ability to draw family audiences, sci-fi enthusiasts, and fans of the eclectic cast alike.
This multi-year runway allows the visual effects teams ample time to perfect the delicate balance between live-action performances and CGI elements—a crucial requirement given the presence of talking reptiles, senior poultry, and other fantastical components central to Pinkwater’s universe. Furthermore, Raye’s involvement in the musical composition phase is expected to take place across late 2026 and early 2027, ensuring that the film’s auditory landscape matches the bizarre, unearthly descriptions found in the original 1976 text.
Industry Implications and Cultural Impact
The pairing of Benny Safdie with a property as delightfully bizarre as Daniel Pinkwater’s Lizard Music highlights a broader industry trend: auteur directors from the gritty independent sphere stepping into high-concept, family-accessible fantasy spaces while retaining their distinct stylistic signatures. Safdie’s transition into solo directing projects has opened up new creative avenues, allowing him to explore narrative worlds that rely heavily on world-building, digital effects, and large-scale ensemble choreography.
Moreover, the casting choices reflect a calculated strategy to blend cross-generational appeal. While foundational stars like Jeff Goldblum, Rachel McAdams, and Alicia Silverstone pull in audiences with nostalgic and established star power, internet-age icons and modern multi-hyphenates like Dwayne Johnson and Raye ensure maximum social media reach and cultural currency. Raye’s dual responsibility as a voice actor and composer also underscores a growing Hollywood preference for deep integration between an artist’s musical output and the cinematic intellectual property they inhabit.
As the production progresses toward its late 2027 theatrical premiere, industry analysts will be watching closely to see how Safdie translates the surrealism of 1970s children’s literature into a modern blockbuster format. With a cast of Hollywood heavyweights, a visionary director at the helm, and a musical landscape curated by one of contemporary music’s most celebrated artists, Lizard Music is steadily positioning itself as one of the most anticipated and unpredictable cinematic experiments of the decade.
