American High’s latest movie shot in Syracuse is set to premiere soon.
“Pizza Movie,” starring Gaten Matarazzo (“Stranger Things”) and Sean Giambrone (“The Goldbergs”), will make its worldwide debut at the SXSW Film & TV Festival, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film is among those in the “Narrative Spotlight” for the March 12-18 event in Austin, Texas.
“Pizza Movie” follows a group of ccollege students who go downstairs to their dorm lobby to get a delivery pizza. But there’s an issue: They’re insanely high on a home-made drug, turning their simple journey down two sets of stairs into a mind-bendingly transformative quest.
The movie is co-written and co-directed by Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher, both known for their work as “Saturday Night Live” writers. Producers include Jeremy Garelick, Will Helps and Molle DeBartolo at American High, a Liverpool-based production company.
Scenes were shot in and around Syracuse last spring with a cast that includes Matarazzo, who played Dustin Henderson on Netflix’s “Stranger Things”; Giambrone, who played the main character Adam Goldberg on TV’s “The Goldbergs”; Lulu Wilson (“Ouija: Origin of Evil,” “Annabelle: Creation”); Peyton Elizabeth Lee (“Andi Mack”); Sarah Sherman (“SNL”); Jack Martin; Caleb Hearon; Marcus Scribner; Miguel-Andres Garcia; and Justin Cooley.
The movie previously had the working title “The Untitled BriTANicK Pizza Movie,” but other names were also considered.
“After weeks of debating title ideas — including Pie Hard, Cheese the Day, Mission Impizzable, and several others that should never see the light of day — SXSW finally forced us to make a decision,” Garelick wrote on social media. “Hope you’re not lactose intolerant, because THE PIZZA MOVIE is heading to Austin.”
Other movies set to premiere at the SXSW film festival include Boots Riley’s “I Love Boosters”; David E. Kelley’s “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” (starring Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer); “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come”; John Carney’s “Power Ballad”; and “Family Movie,” co-directed by Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon.
“Pizza Movie” is expected to be released on Hulu at a later date as part of American High’s deal with the streaming service. A trailer has not been released, but fans can see a first look on SXSW’s website.
