Everyone has a favorite teen comedy. For some, it’s a Hughes flick like The Breakfast Club or Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. For others, American Pie, Napoleon Dynamite, Superbad, or Booksmart grace their Letterboxd top four. 

But, according to Thomas Mahoney, producer for the new star-studded teen comedy Brian, there’s been a distinct shortage of films like those for a few years.

“There’s good ones in there, but we really haven't seen anything like that quality in a long time and I think Brian would fit nicely into that canon,” says Mahoney. “Hopefully [the film] can kickstart a new revolution of that.”

Casey Hanley, Act 4 Artists Head of TV/Film Production and a producer on Brian, says selecting Brian as the outfit’s first feature film was an “easy bet.”

“I’m missing comedies like that right now, and [Brian] is a great example of how they're not dead,” says Hanley. “We just all connected with it. And you just love Brian on the page, and you love Brian on the screen.” 

Top of the Class

Brian, directed by Will Ropp and written by Late Night with Seth Meyers writer Mike Scollins, follows socially challenged and anxiety-riddled Brian (Ben Wang) as he navigates school, upcoming senior class elections, and, oh yeah, having a crush on his English teacher (Natalie Morales). 

Throughout the brisk hour-and-a-half run time, Brian’s mom (Edi Patterson), dad (Randall Park), new best friend (Joshua Colley), and therapist (William H. Macy) are all rooting for him, even if he’s often not able to root for himself. The film, while full of quick wit honed by years of Scollins’ Late Night writers’ rooms, never punches down on Brian for his anxiety and panic attacks. That sets up an ending – which won’t be spoiled here – that earns its grounded (and still funny) conclusion.

While Brian is socially anxious and unsure, Brian is a confident piece of ensemble storytelling that has heart and empathy towards its characters – an A+ result for a team of above-the-line creative leads making their first feature. 

“When I met with Will, Casey, and Danielle [Lauder] from Act 4 Artists, it was just like, oh, they thought about this movie as much as I have, and it feels like our goal of the type of teen comedy we're making is the same,” says Scollins about his script finally being made. 

“So, you know, it's always going to be a bit of a leap of faith – Will's first feature, Act 4 Artists’ first feature, my first feature as a screenwriter.” 

Another leap of faith for the team was shooting the film in Oklahoma, using local production company Rebellium Films to build out a veteran crew for the shoot. Mahoney, who had produced other projects in Oklahoma with Rebellium Films, knew that the state would look the part of All-American Anytown, USA by shooting in Oklahoma City, suburbs of Guthrie, and Classen School of Advanced Studies (SAS) Middle School. 

“It kind of just felt like the right place, especially the time of year we were shooting. I sent it to [the other producers], and I said, ‘I think we really got to shoot here,’ and the rest is history,” says Mahoney. “We applied for the tax credit. We got approved. And next thing, you know, we were in Oklahoma shooting the movie.”

Eighteen days later, the crew wrapped principal photography, the film entered post-production in 2025, and the film had its world premiere at SXSW on March 14, 2026. Now the film has premiered, producers Hanley and Mahoney are optimistic about the film hitting wider release and mainstream distribution soon.

“We're hoping we just land with the right home that feels passionate about it, that loves it as much as we do,” says Mahoney about a potential distributor for Brian. “And we hope that somebody will watch it and have the same feeling about it and be like, ‘I want to be on board with this, and want to take it to the next level and then have the next vision for it.’ And I think that's where a wonderful festival like SXSW can step in and help be a real platform for us for the next level.”

Hanley also agrees – the right distributor will see the heart behind the humor in Brian. 

“We were a tiny movie, so a lot of the core of this film is people who really love it, who really want it to succeed, who really believe in it,” says Hanley. “And that's the kind of thing we want for our distributor, too, someone who really is doing this because they believe in this thing and that they love it.” 

To keep up with Mahoney and Hanley’s projects, visit them on Instagram at @tommyextrastout and @caseyhanley. You can also follow Hanley’s film outfit Act 4 Artists at @act4artists and Rebellium Films at @rebellium.tv.

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