Fanboys – A Dying Star Wars Fan's Wish Comes True

Fanboys is a 2007 comedy film directed by Kyle Newman from a screenplay written by himself, Ernest Cline, and Adam F. Goldberg. The film stars several up and coming actors (and one actress) such as Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, and Kristen Bell. The film is being distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and The Weinstein Company, with a projected release date of August 17, 2007.

The film, set in 1999, follows a group of friends as they take a road trip to Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California, in order to fulfill their dying friend’s wish of seeing Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace before the film’s nationwide release.

Director Kyle Newman is the brother of Kevin Newman, an artist on The Simpsons and Futurama. This will be Newman’s sixth directorial effort, after The Cyclist, Bitten by Love, Drone, Artflick.001, and The Hollow. Of the six films that he directed, he also has screenwriting credits on all but Fanboys and The Hollow. He won a Red Ribbon Award for his work on Bitten by Love. He has a cameo in Fanboys as “Fanboy Yoda.”

Sam Huntington has been in several films, including Jungle 2 Jungle, Detroit Rock City, Not Another Teen Movie, and Superman Returns, where he played the young reporter Jimmy Olsen. He has also guest starred in two episodes of Veronica Mars, opposite his Fanboys co-star Kristen Bell.

Kristen Bell has played the titular role of Veronica Mars in the CW series of the same name since 2004. She has also guest starred on several television shows including Deadwood, The Shield, and American Dreams. She was recently in the horror film Pulse.

Chris Marquette has a pretty extensive credits list for his young age. He’s had regular parts on TV shows Strong Medicine, Joan of Arcadia, and Pasadena, as well as numerous guest spots and feature film roles. His most recent film credits include Alpha Dog, The Education of Charlie Banks, The Invisible, The Beautiful Ordinary, Choose Connor, Calvin Marshall, and of course, Fanboys.

Jay Baruchel first came into the spotlight with his role in the television comedy series Undeclared. He’s also had recurring roles on The Stones and Just Legal. He also starred in Clint Eastwood’s award-winning film Million Dollar Baby. He can be seen in the upcoming films Knocked Up, Real Time, Pushing Up Daisies, and Tropic Thunder.

Dan Fogler, the eldest of the group, can be seen in the upcoming comedy films Balls of Fury and Good Luck Chuck.