#It’s A Wonderful Life Table Read for Charity Will Star Pete Davidson – /Film

It’s A Wonderful Life is a classic that families watch together during the holiday season, especially on Christmas Eve when NBC airs it every year. But this year, Frank Capra‘s beloved 1946 film will get a bit of a makeover courtesy of a charity table read put together for The Ed Asner Family Center, which promotes mental health and enrichment programs to special needs children and their families.

Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson has been tapped to take the lead role of George Bailey, famously portrayed by the legendary Jimmy Stewart. Joining the comedian will be his King of Staten Island co-star Maude Apatow as Violet Bick, as well as an impressive all-star ensemble to flesh out the rest of the cast. Get the details about the It’s A Wonderful Life table read below.

Slated for Sunday, December 13 at 5:00 P.M. PT, the It’s A Wonderful Life table read will also star Mia Farrow (Rosemary’s Baby), Ellie Kemper (The Office), Carol Kane (Scrooged), Ed Begley Jr. (Best in Show), Diedrich Bader (Office Space), Bill Pullman (Independence Day), Richard Kind (A Serious Man), B.D. Wong (Jurassic World), and Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road). Kemper is slated to play Mary, but otherwise, we don’t know who the rest of the cast is portraying, and there are some unnamed special guests involved too.

That’s quite an ensemble, and it’s a bold choice to have the young Pete Davidson tackle such an iconic role. But at the same time, Davidson is someone who has struggled greatly with mental health, and he hasn’t been shy about addressing it in his comedy, especially on Saturday Night Live. Bringing in Davidson lends a certainly contemporary perspective to the proceedings that might make the story feel a little more modern without completely overhauling the script. At the very least, it’s more interesting than trying to get someone to simply emulate Jimmy Stewart.

Matthew Asner, son of Ed Asner and co-founder, president, and CEO of The Ed Asner Family Center, said in a statement:

“We are so thrilled to have Pete reenact the role of George in It’s a Wonderful Life with his talented wit and clever vocalizations. And we look forward to having Maude join the cast as Violet with her creative flair. Please join us for this once in a lifetime opportunity to snuggle up on your couch and experience this all-star cast virtual table read from the comfort of your own home, while helping to raise money for The Ed Asner Family Center. It will be a very meaningful night!”

The base general admission for the It’s A Wonderful Life table read is $50, and they can be purchased right here. That’s more expensive than most of the other virtual events like this we’ve seen this year, but it’s for charity. There are also a few other more expensive ticket tiers that will get you some cool souvenirs, and you can even gift a ticket to the virtual event to someone else.
Co-founder Navah Paskowitz-Asner added:

“Autism and special needs touches all of us personally. By gifting tickets to the table read, people are giving their friends and family that unique, once in a lifetime gift that everyone is searching for…an experience they can share together that will be unforgettable while helping scores of families living with special needs.”

The event will be hosted by Tom Bergeron and the table read will directed by Victor Nelli.

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