Fans of the bestsellingYAnovelMiddle School: The Worst Years of My Lifehave a reason to celebrate today! Author James Patterson’s hit novel is coming to the big screen, and we have your first look courtesy ofEW. They have debuted both the trailer and a very colorful poster, which bring Rafe Khatchadorian’s cruel, hilarious and life-changing adventures to life.
The cast is headed-up by by a strong ensemble of comedy favorites. Griffin Gluck is introducing the iconicliterary characterof Rafe to the big screen, appearing alongsideLauren Graham,Adam Pally,Rob Riggle,Efren Ramirezand Andrew Daly.The film is directed by Steve Carr, best known for his family friendly hits Dr. Dolittle 2 andDaddy Day Care.
The filmmaker was ready to take a break fromfamily films, but the stellar script for Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life changed his mind. The story follows Rafe as he sets out to break all of hisMiddle Schoolprinciple’s rule after the man destroys his beloved sketchbook. This soon turns into a war of the wills. Says Steve Carr about the movie.
“This book came along and I found it’s a better version of the movies that I’ve been making. Finding my way back from where I was trying to get away from was a big takeaway of making this movie for me. I literally am Rafe. I express myself through my art. My sketchbook became everything to me. I always felt a little bit on the outside.”
Another reason Carr decided to tackle this particular family comedy is because the boy at the center of the story isn’t necessarily a hero. He’s someone who has been forced into a particular situation where he must break all the rules. Says Carr about Rafe.
“One of the important things to look at is kids who aren’t cheerleaders or aren’t the student-body presidents. In Daddy Day Care, one of the kids would only communicate inKlingon. I get that kind of a kid.”
Steve Carr looked to an iconic 80s movie for inspiration in helping to craft Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life. Important to the overall story is the relationship between this middle school kid and his principle. Which is contentious to say the least. About creating a new kind of school movie for a new audience, he says this about relying on an old classic.
“[I wanted] a classic Ferris Bueller kind of relationship. I’m not interested in making Ferris Bueller 2. I wanted to make a movie that was special to me and had heart in a way that Ferris Bueller really didn’t. There’s a lot of stuff for a lot of people in it.”
You can check out the first footage from Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life in the embed below. We also have the first poster, which features Rafe and his Principle, played by Griffin Gluck and Andrew Daly. What do you think? Is this set to be a sleeper hit? Can it become the next school movie classic?
embed/embed
