Jason Sudeikis, Jean Smart & Mandy Patinkin to Star in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE Table Read

Jason Sudeikis, Jean Smart, and Mandy Patinkin have been announced to star in a table reading of It's A Wonderful Life, befitting the Ed Asner Family Center.

Variety reports that Sudeikis will star as George Bailey with his real-life uncle, George Wendt, playing Uncle Billy. Jean Smart, Rosario Dawson, Mark Hamill, Martin Sheen, Mandy Patinkin, Lou Diamond Phillips, Phil Lamarr, Ben Mankiewicz, Ron Funches and Ed Harris will also appear in the reading. The event will be hosted by Tom Bergeron.

This is the second annual virtual reading of the script. It will take place December 5 in tribute to the late Ed Asner, benefitting The Ed Asner Family Center (TEAFC) which promotes mental health and enrichments programs to special needs children and their families.

Tickets for the event are available here.

It's a Wonderful Life was originally released in 1947 and has since become an iconic holiday film. Originally starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, and Lionel Barrymore, the film has since been adapted into a live radio play, which was presented Off-Broadway in 2017.

The play takes place on Christmas Eve, 1946 as George Bailey, the nicest guy in town, is in a terrible predicament. We find him perched precariously on a bridge, on the verge of suicide. Enter Clarence, George's guardian angel, who has not yet earned his wings. CLARENCE shows George what Bedford Falls would be if George had never been born! This beloved holiday-season drama is brought vividly to life in a stage adaptation of Frank Capra's classic film of sacrifice and redemption in small-town America. Set in a radio station in the 1940s, with a live SOUND FX artist, this poignant drama features six actors portraying 25 unforgettable characters. P.S. - CLARENCE wins his wings.