Fanboys

Fanboys
Director(s)	Kyle Newman
Producer(s)	Dana Brunetti Kevin Spacey Matthew Pernicaro Evan Astrowsky
Writer(s)	Ernest Cline (story & screenplay) Dan Pulick (story) Adam F. Goldberg (screenplay)
Starring	Sam Huntington Chris Marquette Dan Fogler Jay Baruchel Kristen Bell
Music by	Mark Mothersbaugh
Distributor	The Weinstein Company
Released	February 6 2009

[Source]

"Fanboys is the love letter to the greatest movie franchise of all time. ... I wanted the film to be my gift back to Star Wars and to the fan community."

―Kyle Newman

Fanboys is a 2009 film directed by Kyle Newman and starring Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, and Kristen Bell.

Opening crawl

Episode VII RETURN OF THE SAGA The year is 1998 and it is a period of galactic civil war. Scratch that. There's no civil war. That would be crazy! However the past fifteen years have been a dark time for Star Wars fans. But there is hope. A new Star Wars film is on the horizon. In 199 days, 3 hour, 33 minutes and 32 seconds, the most anticipated movie of all time will be released. In the remote state of Ohio, two best friends and lifelong Star Wars Fans have drifeted apart. Little do they know that on Halloween night their paths will cross again... Ever Wondered where these words are flying? Maybe aliens in another galaxy will one read this and think WTF. Sent from my iPhone

Plot summary

On Halloween night, 1998, Eric Bottler (Sam Huntington) reunites with his old high school friends Linus (Christopher Marquette), Hutch (Dan Fogler), Windows (Jay Baruchel), and Zoe (Kristen Bell) at a costume party. There is tension between Bottler and his old friends, due to Bottler being the only one that matured since high school. Bottler, now a successful car salesman, finds that his friends haven't changed a bit since high school; the number one thing they still have in common is their love of Star Wars. The gang expresses their anticipation for the latest installment to the franchise, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Linus proposes an idea that Bottler and he had been plotting since they were children: to infiltrate Skywalker Ranch and steal a rough cut of the film.

The next day, Hutch and Windows meet Bottler at work and inform him that Linus has cancer. The doctors estimate that he only has roughly four months to live; Episode I comes out in six. To make peace with his former best friend, Bottler decides to go through with their plan and infiltrate Skywalker Ranch. While on the road, Hutch decides to take a detour to Riverside, Iowa (the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk) in an attempt to start a fight with some Trekkies. Hutch gets his wish after attacking a Trekkie by the name of Admiral Seasholtz (Seth Rogen) in retaliation to Seasholtz calling Han Solo a bitch.

After arriving in Texas, the group encounters Harry Knowles (Ethan Suplee). After explaining their situation Harry gives them information on one of his contacts that knows how to successfully enter Skywalker Ranch. They are told to meet Harry's contact in Las Vegas, but before they get there they are arrested for fleeing a police vehicle. Zoe arrives to bail them out of jail, and accompanies them on their journey. Once in Vegas, Hutch and Windows make an attempt to have sex with some girls while Bottler and Linus go to meet Harry's contact. They are shocked to find that his contact is none other than William Shatner. Shatner gives them the information they need and leaves. Upon his departure, Seasholtz and his Trekkie friends, who were attending a Star Trek convention in Vegas, attack them. Meanwhile, Hutch and Windows discover that the girls they were with are prostitutes and their angry pimp (Seth Rogen) wants them to pay up.

The group escapes their adversaries and eventually arrives at Skywalker Ranch. Shortly after breaking in to the Ranch, they are discovered by security guards and are caught after a brief chase. The Head of Security (Danny R. McBride) tells them of their impending doom when he receives a phone call from George Lucas himself. Lucas tells him that he will drop all charges if they can prove to him that they are "fanboys." After a short quiz, the Head of Security confirms that they are fanboys and Lucas drops all charges. Being aware of Linus's illness, Lucas allows him to watch the film alone. After the film ends, Linus joins his friends around a campfire and mends his friendship with Bottler.

Six months later, Bottler, Windows, and Zoe emerge from their tent they used to camp out in while waiting in line for the first showing of Episode I. It is revealed that Bottler followed his and Linus's dream by becoming a comic book artist, Hutch has finally started his own detailing business, and Windows and Zoe are now in a relationship. Hutch arrives at the theater with beers he smuggled in, which they use to toast to Linus's memory. Just as the movie starts, Bottler asks his friends, "Guys what if the movie sucks?"

Cast

• Sam Huntington as Eric
• Chris Marquette as Linus
• Dan Fogler as "Hutch"
• Jay Baruchel as "Windows"
• Kristen Bell as Zoe

Guest stars

• Billy Dee Williams as Judge Reinhold
• William Shatner as himself
• Carrie Fisher as The Doctor
• Christopher McDonald as Big Chuck
• Kevin Smith as himself
• Jason Mewes as himself
• Jaime King as Amber (Escort #1)
• Danny Trejo as The Chief
• Seth Rogen as Admiral Seashotz / Alien Bouncer / Roach
• Ray Park as THX Security Guard #2
• Will Forte as THX Security Guard #4
• Craig Robinson as THX Security Guard #5

Development

George Lucas was given an advance screening of the rough cut of the film. He enjoyed it and gave it his "stamp of approval". He then contacted the filmmakers with his authorization to use Star Wars sound effects. Filmmaker and Star Wars fan Kevin Smith also viewed an early version of the film and asked for and was allowed a cameo in the film, which he wrote and directed himself.

The movie was pushed back once more to January 2008 because director Kyle Newman was given more funding to shoot additional scenes that the original budget did not include. Getting the cast back together would only be possible in September 2007, thus the movie's release date had to be moved to 2008.

The movie was again pushed back because the reshoots could not take place before November/December 2007. These reshoots were directed by Steven Brill and not by Kyle Newman. On January 14th, web blogger The CineManiac broke the story that the movie was being re-edited to remove the cancer plot from the movie and replace much of it with raunchy, vulgar humor. Ain't It Cool News picked up the story and confirmed that the two different versions of the movie (with and without the cancer plot) were screened to different test audiences in Burbank, CA, in January 2008 to see which one would rate higher. As for a new release date, Director Kyle Newman stated in a Movie Geeks United! interview that the movie would hopefully come out in April 2008. Upon hearing about the changes being made to the movie, dedicated Star Wars fans united and started an Internet campaign where fans rebel against the plot changes and demand that the original version that includes the cancer storyline be released in theaters.

Star Wars fans attending Celebration IV were given an exclusive preview of the film, with clips from it played to the live commentary of director Kyle Newman, along with an exclusive "prequel" comic book to the film. A rough cut of the full film (that included the cancer storyline) was shown in public for the first time at Celebration Europe on July 14th, 2007. The screening was followed by a Q&A session with director Kyle Newman and received standing ovations.

On July 6, 2008, it was announced on The Official Fanboys MySpace Blog that the cancer plot will be included in the final cut of the movie. On July 24, 2008, the film was screened in San Diego, California at Comic-Con. However, on January 21, 2009, The Weinstein Corporation revealed that the film would only be released on forty screens in eight cities in the United States; a second Internet campaign began to give the film a wider release.

External links

• Official website
• Fanboys (2009 film) on Wikipedia
• Fanboys at the Internet Movie Database
• Fanboys at Myspace.com
•  Special Fanboys Preview at Celebration IV on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link on Archive.org)
• The Ultimate Fanboys Contest