Broadway alum Kathleen Elizabeth Monteleone (Hands on a Hardbody) writes and stars in the upcoming film American Reject, inspired by her time on the Broadway-themed reality competition series Grease: You're the One That I Want! The film, releasing on demand April 12, also features Broadway favorites Keala Settle, Annaleigh Ashford, and Mary Birdsong, along with Angelica Hale, Rebecca Black, Billy Ray Cyrus, Perez Hilton, and Juvenile.
American Reject follows a singing hopeful chosen to join America's hottest singing competition, only to be catapulted into the depressing afterlife of reality TV fame. Watch the trailer for the film above.
Launched in 2007, Grease: You're the One That I Want! featured Broadway hopefuls competing in an American Idol-like competition series to play Sandy and Danny in a Broadway revival of Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey's Grease, directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall. The series was patterned after a similar U.K. series that cast the Maria for a 2006 West End revival of The Sound of Music.
Laura Osnes and Max Crumm were the ultimate victors, leading the accompanying Broadway revival later that year as Sandy and Danny, respectively. Along with Monteleone, fellow finalists included Kate Rockwell (Mean Girls), Ashley Spencer (Rock of Ages, Priscilla Queen of the Desert), Kevin Greene (A Tale of Two Cities), Ashley Anderson, Jason Celaya, Chad Doreck, Juliana Hansen, Derek Keeling, Austin Miller, Matt Nolan, and Allie Schulz.