What We Know About Rachel Zegler’s Apocalyptic A24 Movie

Y2K is nearly here and everyone who has lived through that time is eager to see what the comedy horror film will produce. Sure, the cast might be filled with Gen Z actors, but just as fashion tends to be cyclical, movies can do the same! Skinny jeans and ankle socks are out, but fanny packs and wide-leg jeans are all the rage?

Y2K embraces the best of both generations (with a few throwbacks to Gen X) and creates a hilarious “what if” situation regarding the hysteria surrounding New Year’s Eve of 1999. For anyone who grew up being told that you had to learn math because “you’re not going to be carrying a calculator in your pocket all the time,” this is the movie you need to see this winter.

7 Does ‘Y2K’ Have a Release Date?

Y2K enjoyed a successful premiere in March at the 2024 SXSW festival, with a theatrical release date of December 6, 2024, nearly 25 years after the (fictional) events of the movie, which is set on the night of December 31, 1999. With a runtime of 93 minutes, the film will bring nostalgia for times when a 3-hour movie was absurd unless you were James Cameron in 1997. Y2K won’t need two separate VHS tapes to fit the whole movie, and that’s not a bad thing! Opening on the same day as Y2K is the dark comedy Nightbitch starring Amy Adams.

6 Will ‘Y2K’ Be in Theaters or Streaming?

This movie will have an exclusive theatrical release through the remainder of the winter holiday season. Still, it will likely be available to purchase or rent on various VOD platforms by early 2025. If you have a subscription to Max, you’re in luck, because most A24 movies are added to the streaming service soon after their theatrical runs due to an ongoing contract between the two companies.

5 Is There a Trailer for ‘Y2K’?

Yes! The official trailer for Y2K was released on August 20, 2024, with a few short teasers floating about beforehand. The trailer is filled with a multitude of 90s nostalgic moments, including the fact that landlines don’t work if someone is using the internet, Tamagotchi toys, and grunge-inspired wardrobes. If you’re unsure about any of these references, please ask a trusted relative or friend who is old enough to describe what life was like before the age of smartphones and AI. Watch the trailer above.

A second trailer for Y2K was released on November 13, 2024. The minute-long preview plays like a remixed music video featuring real footage from a press conference from former President Bill Clinton, denying the existence of the Y2K virus.

4 Who Stars in ‘Y2K’?

Jaeden Martell leads the film as awkward teenager Eli who crashes a high school Y2K New Year’s Eve Party with his best friend. Martell is best known for portraying Bill in the recent adaption of Stephen King’s IT and the subsequent film IT Chapter 2. He has also appeared in Rian Johnson’s murder-mystery movie, Knives Out, as Jacob Trombley and in the dramatic comedy St. Vincent, as Oliver, co-starring with Bill Murray. Joining him in Y2K is Deadpool 2’s Julian Dennison as Danny. In addition to utilizing his “prison wallet,” in the MCU, Dennison has also appeared in the quirky coming-of-age Taika Waititi comedy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and more recently in Godzilla vs. Kong.

In addition to Jaeden Martell and Julian Dennison, upcoming superstar Rachel Zegler has been a hot topic of discussion lately, with her recent performances in the films West Side Story, The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Most recently, she was cast as the titular character in the upcoming live-action remake of Disney’s Snow White, with a release date set for March 2025. Eduardo Franco, also known as Stranger Things’ one-season-wonder, Argyle, joins the cast as well, along with Daniel Zoghadri (Eighth Grade) as CJ, Lachlan Watson (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) as Ash, director Kyle Mooney as Garrett, Alicia Silverstone as Robin, Fred Durst as himself, and The Kid Laroi as “Soccer Chris.”

3 What Is ‘Y2K’ About?

If you’re old enough to remember, Y2K was a moment of tension worldwide as people were unsure of how technology would respond to a new millennium. There were worries about internet-based banking systems failing, stock market crashes, some people built cellars to store canned and dried goods, and some people thought the world as they knew it was suddenly going to be tossed into chaos. This film takes all those fears and compounds them to a Terminator level. Not only does technology fail at the turn of the new millennia, technology turns on the people who own it.

Two best friends from high school, Eli and Danny (Jaeden Martell and Julian Dennison, respectively), crash a high school New Year’s Eve party. Eli wants nothing more than to confess his feelings to his long-time crush, Laura (Rachel Zegler), and his wingman Danny is there to hype him up for it. At a glance, the premise seems similar to Superbad, so it’s not a huge surprise that one of Superbad’s lead actors and director of A24’s Mid90s film, Jonah Hill, is a producer for this movie. However, once the clock strikes midnight, things take a turn for the unexpected for the worse. Instead of technology shutting down, technology revolts against people, determined to wipe them from the face of the earth. The group of teens has to band together to survive the night and what might come after in a tongue-in-cheek comedic exposé on the many positives that advanced technology has to offer… as well as the inevitable drawbacks.

The official synopsis for Y2K from A24 reads:

On the last night of 1999, two high school juniors crash a New Years Eve party, only to find themselves fighting for their lives in this dial-up disaster comedy.

2 Who Is Making ‘Y2K’?

SNL’s Kyle Mooney takes the helm as director for this sci-fi horror comedy, co-writing the screenplay with Evan Winter. Mooney’s hilarious and awkward personas are usually in front of the camera, like in the recent film No Hard Feelings, but after writing shorts and comedy sketches for SNL, Saturday Morning All-Star Hits, episodes of Nathan For You, he’s returned to the director’s seat. Don’t worry, similar to his first feature film, Brigsby Bear, Mooney will still have an onscreen role in Y2K. The production company, A24, has released recent (slightly comedic) horror films such as Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, Beau Is Afraid, and Pearl, as opposed to their usually more direct on-the-nose genre movies like Hereditary, Talk to Me, or The VVitch.

As previously mentioned, Jonah Hill is a producer for the movie, along with Kyle Mooney and Evan Winter. Similar to Superbad or Good Boys, Y2K still fits into the category of “hilarious and nostalgic coming-of-age” stories that the creators seem to do so well. Make sure to silence any pagers before going to see this movie in theaters, and remember to thank Siri, Alexa, or SKYNET when they automate the smart appliances in your home.

1 What Is ‘Y2K’ Rated?

As you could probably tell from the first trailer, Y2K is rated R. The official MPA rating reads: “for bloody violence, strong sexual content/nudity, pervasive language, and teen drug and alcohol use.”