Get ready to party like it ’s the last daytime of 1999 inY2K. mellow school junior Eli ( Jaeden Martell ) and Danny ( Julian Dennison ) are the lovable outcasts who want to jibe in with the popular kids . On New Year ’s Eve , the duo crash their class fellow ’s house party . Eli hop to pull the attention of his crushed leather Laura ( Rachel Zegler ) , while Danny wants to bankrupt out of his shell .

Then , the clock strikes midnight , and the Y2 K incubus becomes a hellacious realness . In this alternate realism created by carbon monoxide - writers Kyle Mooney and Evan Winter , Y2Kimagines a technological takeover , one where electronics come to life and overturn humans to become the most powerful beingness in the world . These electronics are n’t peaceful , as they embark on a slaying - filled pursuance to uproot humanness . To save the universe , the live on teens must put apart their differences and campaign together as a squad , or risk of exposure becoming slaves in this novel , tech - run earth .

In an interview with Digital Trends , Mooney and Winter discussed how to use nostalgia to power the story , their conclusion to corrupt the come - of - historic period genre , and how they put down Limp Bizkit ’s Fred Durst in the flick ’s most crucial use .

take note : This article has been edited for duration and lucidity . The audience admit raider .

Digital Trends : I saw youscreened the film in San Diego . It was host byTony Hawk , and to a sure generation , he is the Michael Jordan of skateboarding . He ’s a San Diego guy as well . I was wonder if you were skaters growing up . Did Tony Hawk have a huge impact on your teen years ?

Kyle Mooney : Yeah , I tried to skateboard . I ’m from San Diego , and surf and skate culture is pretty ubiquitous there . It ’s within the fabric of that city . My older brother skated . I skated with my boys , Dave and Joe . I never really could land like a right ollie . Definitely not a kicking - flip , but I wore all the apparel . I call up one time , my booster Dave was like , “ Dude , maybe you should stick to longboarding . ” Then , afterwards in life , believably like 10 years ago , I got back into skating . I start skate with some people who are very honest at it , and it sort of invigorate my honey for it . Yeah , Tony Hawk ’s a full hero . He ’s , like you said , the icon of skateboarding .

Evan Winter : I did not really skate myself , but I hang out with a crew that were skaters when I was a kid . But we ’re talkingTony Hawk Pro Skater 2here . He ’s a full - on legend , and one of the all - time coolest guys , likely in chronicle .

With this story , there ’s a definitely a balancing number with nostalgia - driven hooey . How do you find the right residuum of relying on nostalgia while adjudicate to tell a story ?

Winter : I think that ’s pretty well said . There is a balance you have to rule . I think in the composition process , there were a destiny of fun moments that we had , pitch things back and forth . Like , I have n’t get word about Herbal Essence daughter in a prospicient time . That ’s a fun thing to pull out of the hat , with other cultural touchstone and acknowledgment that are gear up in the period . But then , you do n’t desire it to whelm and become like a secret plan of “ remember this . ” You demand to fit it in a way that feel natural to how the kids from the era would lecture , act , or care about . Hopefully a few times , we found the ability to fit those mention in a way that they either call back later or there is some tale impact , so it does n’t feel like just empty gestures .

Mooney : I cerebrate it ’s just a intestine handicap throughout the procedure of being like , “ Are we entering cringey or corny territorial dominion ? ” Also , I feel like what Evan ’s getting at is attempt to stay true to the eccentric and the taradiddle .

The film take a turn at the party . Everyone start dying in the most roughshod ways potential . Did any horrific death get go forth on the cutting elbow room floor ?

Mooney : Definitely in the writing process , we lose some horrific last . I think that middling much everything we shot made it into the movie .

wintertime : Again , when we were writing , it was passably fun to just sky in this populace that we ’ve created . What are the things that could obliterate people , and how ? We were kind of die through all the unlike technologies and all the dissimilar elements that could potentially be deadly . And you always attempt to arrive up with inventive ways to do it .

Mooney:[To Evan ] I want to say , was n’t there a removed - control helicopter ?

wintertime : At one point ? Yeah . There was also a car that had GPS . Once it turn on , it master itself , like a full - sizing machine .

Mooney : We had a serial of construction - land site golem made up of power tool . Ultimately , you have to deal with the budget .

That ’s fair . I was surprised by one of the last . The film is definitely set up as a pal clowning with Eli and Danny . And then Danny dies at the company . I was like , “ There ’s no way he ’s going to die here . He ’s going to come back to aliveness , ” and he does go bad . Take me through that process . Did you always be after to shoot down him [ Danny ] early ? What went behind that decision ?

Mooney : Yeah , it was there from moment one . I think , utter for myself , I was really excited by subverting that sorting of classical , trope - y , best admirer and gamy school party thing and turn it into something completely different . I also get really activated about eliciting reaction from the audience , whether it be laughter , snag , a scare , or something like that .

And in the same agency that our moving picture shifts from one moving picture to another , this felt like another agency to shift into an entirely different thing , where now all of a sudden , this implausibly tragic thing is a catalyst for the report and the eccentric that develop and everything that unfolds . So to me , that move is just incredibly exciting . This is something that you do n’t know or expect , and all of a sudden , you ’re like , “ Oh my god . Did that just happen ? ”

Winter : It ’s a good manner to keep the interview on their toes . We change the musical style and the timbre so drastically , but then you also make it decipherable that people are n’t good . There ’s not like a plot armor [ for the character ] . On a story spirit level , in the adolescent come - of - eld musical genre , it ’s the idea that as you ’re farm up , you ’re becoming the soul you ’re meant to be .

Other people , friends , and thing that you were interested in when you were untested , like at the start of the movie , are n’t always going to be there . You ca n’t swear on that , so there was something that feel right to the music genre and that element of growing up . … This kid , who ’s very unsure and looks inward , loses the only person who really understands him , and how it forces him to change and become who he ’s mean to be .

I was like , “ Am I father emotional for the guy rope who just sangThe Thong Songtwo transactions ago ? ”

Mooney : That really is the hope . You require to tug at the heartstrings .

Speaking of the music , it ’s a vast part of this movie , especially for the time stop . As soon as thatFatboy svelte songdrops in the beginning , you know exactly where you are . Was there a list of songs you know you wanted in the picture show ? Were there any tough cuts ? Take me through working with the medicine supervisor to curate the soundtrack to this movie .

Mooney : We had song in the script from moment one for pretty much all the major moment in the screenplay . It [ music ] just always felt pretty essential to secern the narration of this period . … euphony is always around and important to people , but it does feel like in that era , we were so mesmerized withTRLonMTVand seeing which euphony video would be No . 1 that day . I feel like we ’ve speak about this a few times . I do n’t know how many call from the script actually terminate up in the final film . Definitely the Limp Bizkit stuff and nonsense .

Winter : AndFaith .

Mooney : Ultimately , I feel like the stuff and nonsense you end up with is sort of what you were imply to end up with . It ’s kind of perfect , and I think we sense great about where we landed .

Winter : Yeah , utterly . This is perchance stating the obvious . At the beginning of the motion-picture show , our main character is making a mixed CD . That continues to follow him throughout the movie and plays a pivotal role in multiple huge moment . It experience like it was so baked into the DNA of the movie that these needle driblet and songs are not just like , “ commemorate this era ? call up these birdcall from this period ? ” They are critical to the fabric of the film . It ’s [ the songs ] woven into it .

Mooney : Though , at the same time , if you are n’t love the moving picture , you’re able to be like , “ Well , I kind of like that strain . ”

Winter : Yeah , something for everyone .

A swindle code .

Mooney : Yeah , exactly .

When you conk out to Fred [ Durst ] withFaith , was he on board right on away ?

Winter : I think , just in cosmopolitan , we write Fred into the movie . He was belike in the complex body part within the first week or two . So we make out we require him from Clarence Day one . We always talk about who would be a backup if he was n’t concerned . And truly , nobody that we confound around as a reliever came anywhere tight to doing what Fred did . Faithwas always in there , and he always played this role . When we have the go - ahead to make the movie , he [ Fred ] was the first person we went to , and very luckily for us , he mother it . He was into it and liked the approximation of both poking fun at himself but then becoming this mammoth , epic version of the guy that mass remember from that period .

He [ Fred ] was a monster back in the Clarence Day . I do n’t recollect people realize this . I was looking up first - hebdomad album sale . If you get over 100,000 now , that ’s considered pretty serious . I believeSignificant Otherdid 600,000 in their first calendar week , and then over 1 million forChocolate Starfish . It ’s insane .

Mooney : Totally .

wintertime : He was the man .

Were you always going to move in this , Kyle ?

Mooney : Yeah , that was always part of the design . I mean , I want to be in there . plainly , I knew I could n’t spiel a stripling . I do n’t know at what point in the pitching process we end up with Garrett . The video store is like such an iconic context of the era and a place that I think is significant to both Evan and me . I love the idea of being in there just enough to score . It was really fun .

With the drug rug on . It was a prissy touch .

Mooney : Yeah . I watch out several YouTube videos of dude get toPhish concerts in 2001 , along with the mass that Evan and I knew develop up . It was a fun character to explore .

With most of the shape abide after this moment [ Y2 K ] , I saw you made them mixtapes and told them what Sung to take heed to . Did the stamp come to you for advice ? How in - deepness were they with the research ?

wintertime : I cerebrate it full depended on the histrion . I would say Lachlan , who played Ash , was very well - versed in the era overall . Specifically , the rap - rock candy scene . He had pretty strong workings cognition , and I would say got the majority of the references and the more niche clobber in the picture show . Some of the other worker would ask , “ How do you pronounce Abercrombie ? ”

Mooney : I called that actor out on that [ the Abercrombie line ] in the first place today , and he was like , “ No , I did n’t . I bonk what that is . ”

Winter : Well , he did n’t bang how to say it . [ laughs ]

Mooney : We were there if they needed us . But also , the role are sort of timeless , and so I call up they could link to them even without the whole period component . They had the luck to indue as much or as trivial as they wanted to .

Final query . What were your projection screen names ?

Mooney : I was “ TQuestForNow ” because I was really intoA Tribe Called Quest . I was also forrader - thinking enough to be like , “ Well , this is what I ’m into decently now . I ca n’t say that this is going to be forever , so I ’m TQuestForNow .

Winter : I sense like it ’s a very mature thought process for someone at that age .

Mooney : Thinking about it right on now , I ’m going to say TQuestForever because there has n’t been a moment in my life where I ’ve decided that I ’m not into A Tribe Called Quest

wintertime : That is wet . I was Lantern218 .

Mooney : What is the significance of lantern ?

Winter:[laughs ] I collected lantern . I was really into vintage lanterns . No , when I was a niggling kid , probably like 8 or 9 years quondam , when I got my first screen name , I went to the funny shop every day , and Green Lantern was my favorite superhero .

Mooney : Green Lantern , of course .

Y2 K is now in dramatics .