A24 is polishing their multiple Academy Awards and resetting themselves for another slate of sure-fire hits. Deadline reports that the studio has solidified their cast list for the Kyle Mooney (Saturday Night Live) directed disaster comedy Y2K. Crafting a genius lineup of up-and-coming names mixed with some long-running Hollywood stars, the studio managed to secure the signature of the highly sought-after Golden Globe Award-winner Rachel Zegler (West Side Story) for the leading role. It’s Jaeden Martell and Deadpool 2’s Julian Dennison will star opposite Zegler.
Filling out the notable ensemble will be Alicia Silverstone (The Killing of a Sacred Deer), Mason Gooding (Scream VI), Lachlan Watson (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Tim Heidecker (Us), Miles Robbins (Blockers), Fred Hechinger (Fear Street Trilogy), Daniel Zolghadri (Funny Pages), and Billboard Music Award-winner The Kid Laroi.
From the film’s synopsis, it sounds like Y2K could be in the same vein of dark-comedy as A24’s Bodies Bodies Bodies with a touch of the teenage hijinks of Superbad. The feature will take audiences back to New Year’s Eve 1999, a fateful and feared night as the world plunged into the unknown when we stepped into a new millennium. Swept up in the millennium madness, two high school friends (Martell, Dennison) crash the biggest party in their town to ring in the new year alongside their peers. But, as the night wears on into the early hours of 2000, things get out of hand and far beyond the teens’ wildest dreams.
An impressive list of talent, it’s Zegler’s name that will prove to catch Y2K’s potential audiences. The actress hasn’t slowed down one bit since she mamboed and cha-chaed her way onto the scene in late 2021 via Steven Spielberg’s feature-length adaptation of the beloved musical West Side Story. Feeling an outpour of love from the critics and a newly found fandom, Zegler has only continued her career in an upwards trajectory, recently appearing in her follow-up title, Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Volunteering to join another franchise, The Hunger Games fans will soon spot Zegler in the prequel film, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Beyond that, she’ll appear in Disney’s latest live-action adaptation, Snow White, and will raise a voice in Apple TV+’s computer-animated fantasy musical feature Spellbound.
Evan Winter penned the script for Y2K and will serve as a producer alongside Strong Baby’s Jonah Hill, Matt Dines, and Ali Goodwin with The Bear creator Christopher Storer joining via his American Light & Fixture. A24 will also produce along with covering financing and handling distribution.
As of right now, no release date for Y2K has been set but check out an interview with Zegler and her Shazam! Fury of the Gods co-star Lucy Liu below: