Lionsgate Picks Up Movie About YouTube Pranksters

YouTube’s craziest pranks are bound to look even more outrageous on the big screen.

Lionsgate has acquired worldwide distribution rights for Natural Born Pranksters, a movie starring some of the most famous mischief makers on the Internet, Roman Atwood, Vitaly Zdorovetskiy and Dennis Roady, according to Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. YouTube comedian Jenna Marbles is also expected to have a cameo in the film, which is set to be released in theaters and video on demand in early 2016, The Wrap reports.

Zdorovetskiy, whose YouTube channel boasts more than 8.7 million subscribers and over 1.1 billion views, previously made headlines worldwide when he stripped and ran onto the field during the 2014 World Cup final between Argentina and Germany to try and kiss a German player.

Atwood, whose YouTube channel also boasts 1.1 billion views and about 7.6 million subscribers, has been called “YouTube’s most appalling prankster” for pranks in which he convinces his girlfriend into thinking their kid is dead.

Roady’s similar eyebrow-raising stunts have included putting laxatives in “Rice Krispie treats” batter (viewed over 4.6 million times), and most famously, doctoring photos of vehicles at an auto show in Detroit to make them seem like they have been scratched or dented.

The movie is the latest example of Hollywood taking note of the power and influence of YouTube stars. Some, like the comedy duo known as “Smosh,” have landed movie deals with Netflix, as some marketing surveys have shown these Internet celebrities may have more clout than the mainstream actors and actresses.