Monaco Films is set to begin production on The Class this summer in Chicago. The coming of age high school drama will star Anthony Michael Hall and Broadway actress and pop icon Debbie Gibson. Also joining the cast is an ensemble of the newest generation of Hollywood’s rising television actors.
The Class, written by Nicholas Celozzi, (Shattered, The Lost Angel, The Legitimate Wiseguy) tells the story of a diverse group of high school seniors, forced to show up Saturday to retake an exam they missed or failed, in order to graduate. These students are challenged by their acting teacher to express themselves creatively. Six teenagers are forced to confront their own prejudices, cultural differences and hidden fears in an evolving world of social unrest.
Hall, who also starred in John Hughes Sixteen Candles broke out in the 1985 classic The Breakfast Club which focused on five students serving detention. Switching roles from the fast-talking Brian in The Breakfast Club Hall will now act as the high school’s antagonist assistant principal. The actor can soon be seen in the Blumhouse feature Halloween Kills, the latest installment in the Halloween franchise, in which he stars opposite Jamie Lee Curtis. Additionally, he can be seen in the ABC hit sitcom, The Goldbergs.
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Reuniting with Hall is John Kapelos (The Umbrella Academy, The Shape of Water) who portrayed ‘Carl the Janitor’ in The Breakfast Club. He has been cast as an uncle to one of the teens.
Actress, singer-songwriter Gibson (Summer of Dreams & Broadway Cast Revival Cabaret) joins as the drama teacher who encourages her reluctant students to break through their emotional walls. Gibson will write and produce an original song for the film.
The young adult cast features Lyric Ross (currently starring as Deja Pearson on NBC hit drama This is Us) as provocative rock chick Casey; Charlie Gillespie (Netflix’s Julie and the Phantoms, John Travolta’s Speed Kills, The CW’s Charmed) as moody Jason; Hannah Kepple (Netflix’s Cobra Kai) as guarded singer/songwriter Jessie; Colin McCalla (Tyler Perry’s Ruthless on BET+) as football player Max, and newcomer Juliette Celozzi (Shattered) as sensitive rich girl Allie. Casting is by Dora Whitaker.
Nicholas Celozzi is producing and directing from his own script with producing partner Michael Sportelli of Monaco Films in association with Wiseguy Inc. Anthony Michael Hall will also serve as Executive Producer.
Dora Whitaker, Bob French, and former Disney Executive Paul Noack will serve as Executive Producers. Freddy Braidy, (Gospel Hill, Rescue Dawn, Blonde Ambition) will produce.
Celozzi’s Chicago production team includes Cinematographer Peter Biagi, whom he first worked on his 2004 Quiet Kill, (a.k.a. Nightmare Boulevard) and Periscope Post & Audio located at Cinespace.
Celozzi is presently overseeing development and production of several feature-length films with Mike Sportelli, his producing partner at Monaco Films: 2 Days/1963 and The Legitimate Wiseguy directed by George Gallo set to shoot this fall. He served as Executive producer on the 2018 installment of the Kickboxer film franchise, Kickboxer: Retaliation and produced the 2016 Kickboxer: Vengeance. Celozzi has written and produced psycho-thrillers The Lost Angel, Nightmare Boulevard, Momo: The Sam Giancana Story, and Shattered now on Amazon Prime.
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