"Pitch Perfect 2" is set to launch on theatres on May 15, 2015 featuring a number of exciting faces.
According to Fox Sports, members of the Green Bay Packers will be appearing in the movie, particularly Clay Matthews. The new trailer also features other Packers like Josh Sitton, Don Barclay, T.J. Lang and David Bakhtiari. Jordan Rodgers, brother of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, is also included in the group.
In the trailer on Fox Sports, the NFL stars appear at the 1:06 mark. Clay and his buddies enter in what appears to be a sing-off contest. Clay had his blonde hair tied back in a slick ponytail and wore a black suit. His NFL teammates suddenly rip off the sleeves off his suit to reveal his bulging arms. He finally flexes both his biceps and exclaims, "Yeah!" as if getting ready make a play in an actual football field.
The movie is about an all-girl group that participates in acapella-singing competitions, starring Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson. In a report by USA Today, the trailer did not reveal Clay and his football friends singing, although they are apparently among the groups that intend to defeat Kendrick's "Bellas".
Sports Illustrated wrote that David Bakhtiari may be the reason why the NFL stars managed to get a cameo appearance. Bakhtiari previously hinted that the Packers' offensive line wanted to be part of the upcoming movie. He tweeted back in December 2013, "Hey @AlexisKnapp the packers O-line wants in on #pitchperfect 2. What do we have to do to be in it? #secretlyaddicted". Bakhtiari also got in touch with producer Max Handelman.
Matthews said in an ESPN report, "He (Bakhtiari) had to do a lot of lobbying but he came through and more power to him. I was a little leery at first. This stuff doesn't happen too often. I think the last was maybe Brett Favre and '[There's] Something About Mary.' But that stuff doesn't happen every day and when it does, you obviously have to jump at it."
In addition, they were actually paid for their roles. Lang said, "For us, it was such an honor, we would've done the whole thing for free. We would've paid to be in the movie to be honest with you. We didn't make a lot of money."
ESPN also revealed that the Packers will have a singing part, although fans have to wait another six months to know the exact song. Their part was filmed in a span of four days in June 2014 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The football players had to promise not to share that they will appear in the new film until the trailer was released on November 20.