RAYE is bringing both her voice and her songwriting to Benny Safdie’s Lizard Music, joining the upcoming film as a voice performer and composer of original music.
Deadline reported Friday that the singer-songwriter has boarded the United Artists production, which combines live action and CGI. The film is scheduled to open in theaters December 25, 2027.
Adapted by Safdie from Daniel Pinkwater’s novel, Lizard Music follows a boy who discovers a strange late-night television broadcast featuring lizards playing music. His search for answers brings him into the orbit of an eccentric figure known as the Chicken Man, played by Dwayne Johnson.
For a story built around an unexpected musical discovery, RAYE’s involvement is particularly intriguing. She will contribute to what audiences hear while also inhabiting a character within that world. Details of her character and the extent of her musical contribution have not been disclosed.
That distinction deserves attention. A recording artist’s name on a film can mean anything from a song over the closing credits to a substantial role in shaping its musical identity. The announcement confirms original music and a voice role; how those contributions connect remains to be heard.
RAYE’s songwriting offers plenty of reason to be curious. Her work moves between intimate confession, sharp observation and expansive arrangements, giving her songs a dramatic quality that could find an interesting home in Pinkwater’s unusual world.
She joins an ensemble that includes Regina Hall, Colman Domingo, Rachel McAdams, Jeff Goldblum and Alicia Silverstone, alongside Johnson and young lead Theo Leber.
The creative question now is how Safdie will bring those voices together—and how RAYE’s music will help make this strange world feel like somewhere audiences want to follow.
