Matt Spicer directed the film with a script from Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel. The film stars John Cena and Eric André, who voiced Azizi in the live-action adaptation of The Lion King. Other cast members include Michelle Monaghan, Christopher Meloni, Ego Nwodim, Sherry Cola, Caleb Hearon, and Ben Ahlers.

Little Brother centers on Rudd, who, as a teenager, had registered for a Big Brother/Little Brother program. Here, he briefly spent time with a young orphan named Marcus. However, as the years passed, the program had slipped from Rudd’s mind. So, after 20 years, when he gets a call about his brother being injured, he goes to the hospital, worrying it’s his biological brother. To Rudd’s shock, he finds Marcus (via Entertainment Weekly).

“I charm my way into the wife’s heart, and then the kids love me, and then everybody loves me, but I’m just driving [Rudd] nuts because I’m nuts,” André shared.

David Bernad (known for producing White Lotus, Superstore, Zombieland: Double Tap) co-produced Little Brother. Moreover, he was the one who came up with the premise of this film. According to André, the idea was inspired by an Instagram photo of Bernad’s friend, who had posted a photo of himself with a “little black kid.” The producer reportedly believed the post was steeped in a “white savior” complex. That belief ultimately led to Little Brother.