Nate Bargatze reveals family-focused vision behind $350M Nashville theme park ahead of his first movie release
Stand-up comic Nate Bargatze said his next act is about more than stand-up comedy, opening up about his vision for a Nashville theme park rooted in family entertainment and his own hometown history.
The actor joined "Fox & Friends" Monday, less than two weeks before the release of his first feature film, "The Breadwinner," on May 29.
He said the $350 million amusement park project, eponymously named "Nateland," was inspired by his first job at the since-closed Opryland USA theme park in Nashville.
The idea came as he met the height of stand-up success, selling out arenas, he said. He began to wonder what he'd do next.
"If I was going to just focus on arenas or that kind of thing, it felt like it was going be too much me... I wanted to focus on a place that I could have for people to bring their families to, and destinations to create memories with your families. I don't think there's a ton of that," he said.
WITH 10 KIDS AT HOME, COMEDIAN KOUNTRY WAYNE SAYS REAL LIFE WRITES THE JOKES
The same ethos inspired "The Breadwinner," said Bargatze. He wanted a film the whole family could see together.
The movie follows Bargatze's character, Nate Wilcox, a father whose wife replaces him as the family breadwinner after landing a huge deal on "Shark Tank." Suddenly, he finds himself a stay-at-home dad charged with caring for his three young daughters full-time.
In the interest of fun for the whole family, the comic is offering the "Nate rate" on tickets to his first feature.
"I talked to all the theaters, and we have a Nate rate discount for everybody… special pricing, lower prices. Just because everything's expensive, and we want everybody to come out," he said.