Fans are used to seeing "Glee" actor Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel, belting out tunes and trying to outdo Rachel Berry. In the dark comedy "Struck By Lightning," however, Colfer takes on a whole new role.
Colfer stars in the coming-of-age film, which tells the story of snarky, overachieving high school student Carson Phillips, who needs to find a way to break his big dreams out of a small town. In an opening scene twist, 17-year-old Phillips is struck by lightning and the story is told in flashback, as he details how he blackmailed his classmates into contributing to his literary magazine.
The debut trailer showcases the film's star-studded cast, including Rebel Wilson, Christina Hendricks, Sarah Hyland, Dermot Mulroney, Allison Janney and Angela Kinsey.
The 22-year-old "Glee" actor also wrote the Bildungsroman film, making his screenwriter debut. Colfer described the inspiration behind "Struck By Lightning" to Entertainment Weekly last April.
“It’s about all the kids in high school who are overachieving in their own right and under-appreciated for it just like I was," he said. "I think it’s very sarcastic and very real. I hope it goes to show that there still lots and lots of smart kids out in the world. It’s about smart kids and not about stupid kids who wanna get laid and that’s their biggest goal in life. We’ve been having tons and tons of meetings with actors and people who wanna be part of it. It’s so crazy because I’ve had meetings with actors [who] I literally wrote the role for, that want to be in it and want to be part of it. It’s a trip!”
"Struck By Lightning" premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. This likely won't be the young Colfer's only bid at screenwriting. "Creativity is the best gift ever and the worst curse ever," he said when asked about his future writing process during the festival. "It kind of fills your body. It's something you have to do. You can't ignore it. You have to get stuff down."
The film will hit theaters in January of 2013.
