‘Prom’ Wants to Be the New ‘Breakfast Club’

It's hard to believe, but the kids who were once raised on teen movie classics, like "The Breakfast Club" and "Sixteen Candles," are the ones behind the camera for the new flick, "Prom." As a tribute to the originals, audiences might see a few similarities.

Thomas McDonell and Aimee Teegarden star in "Prom." - Walt Disney Pictures

When omg! visited the Lakewood, California, set of the film, Producer Justin Springer even admitted some of the characters in "Prom" are named after characters from way back when. Recognize Lloyd, the guy described on the movie website as "that kid you see at graduation and realize you never talked to in all four years"? That's pretty similar to the guy John Cusack played in "Say Anything." Or Lucas, the "geek"? Yep, he's based loosely on the character Corey Haim played in "Lucas."

"Prom" was even shot primarily at John Burroughs Middle School in Los Angeles, one of the filming locations for "Pretty in Pink."

"[We're] definitely aiming for something that's real, just trying to stay away from the more candy-coated version of high school that is done all the time and is quite successful, but with this one we just wanted to go for something a little bit different," Springer said. Still, this is Disney after all, and the trailer for the flick seems pretty sunny. Yet at the time of this interview, Springer insisted that the final product would be less "High School Musical" and more "Sixteen Candles."

The makers of "Prom" are fans of the John Hughes movie, "The Breakfast Club." - Everett Collection

Unfortunately, some of the "Prom" cast had never seen "Sixteen Candles" or "Pretty in Pink," so Springer assigned them a little homework -- they all had to sit down and watch some of the films of teen movie masters, John Hughes and Cameron Crowe. Springer added that he wanted to capture the emotional truths of being a teenager through one big event, in this case prom, like Hughes especially did so well.

Former "Gossip Girl" actress and "Prom" star Yin Chang said she liked the idea. "I love 'Breakfast Club.' It's so real," Chang noted. "It's so raw and the acting is just done fantastically ... nothing overboard or anything like that. When I heard we were inspired by those movies, I was very happy."

Think "Prom" will be more "High School Musical" or more "Sixteen Candles"? - Walt Disney Pictures

Of course, there is one final ingredient necessary for making a great teen movie: a soundtrack that defines the film. "John Hughes did a great job of introducing new music to the world through his movies that became instantly popular, and instantly tied to the movie that he had created," Springer said. Tracks by Neon Trees, Travie McCoy, and cast member Thomas McDonell and his band Moon made the album.

We'll see if "Prom" is an instant classic when it hits theaters Friday, April 29. Meanwhile, check out the trailer!

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