Mason Thames has signed to star in Narcs, a coming-of-age comedy from Sony Pictures that marks John Phillips’ debut as a feature director, Deadline reported Wednesday.
Thames is 19. Sony is keeping the plot under wraps and has not said when cameras will roll or when the film will reach theaters.
Phillips is best known as a screenwriter of R-rated comedies, including No Hard Feelings, Good Boys and Dirty Grandpa. Jordan and Justin Shipley, who created the TBS comedy Wrecked, wrote the script. Phillips and his frequent collaborator Gene Stupnitsky then rewrote it. Stupnitsky directed No Hard Feelings, the Jennifer Lawrence comedy Sony released, and produces Narcs through his Big Name Entertainment banner. Robert Lamonaca and Joseph Micucci are executive producers alongside Phillips.
The role adds a comedic credit to a résumé built mostly on genre hits. Thames starred in the 2021 horror film The Black Phone and returned for its 2025 sequel. He also led the 2025 live-action How to Train Your Dragon, and its follow-up is due June 11, 2027. Earlier in his career he appeared in the Netflix comedy Incoming.
His recent choices lean toward humor. He stars in Idiots, Macon Blair’s R-rated road-trip film, which Independent Film Company acquired after its Sundance premiere. He also appears in Nimrods, a project tied to the band Green Day, which is headed to digital platforms. Next, he stars in Caine, a John Wick spin-off directed by Donnie Yen.
The pairing of Sony, Phillips and Stupnitsky recalls No Hard Feelings, the studio’s raunchy comedy from 2023, and signals that the studio wants another R-rated comedy that also serves as a coming-of-age story. Sony has not confirmed a rating for Narcs.
