The Sundance Film Festival may be relocating from Park City, Utah, but its core mission of highlighting new and exciting independent voices remains unchanged. First-time feature director Giselle Bonilla and screenwriter Alex Heller exemplify the type of artistic talents that Sundance elevates to stardom. With Bonilla directing and Heller writing, The Musical, which premieres at the festival, offers a fresh take on a school-set comedy with a hint of Mel Brooks. The premise involves an intentionally flawed stage production reminiscent of The Producers. The film features performances from Will Brill (The OA), Gillian Jacobs (Community), and Rob Lowe (9-1-1: Lone Star), who also serves as a producer.

At the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, Collider’s Steve Weintraub spoke with Bonilla, Heller, Brill, Jacobs, and Lowe at the Arby’s Cinema Center, discussing The Musical, comedic influences, and casting young actors. The film also pays tribute to influential teachers and music instructors. “The best teachers don’t just teach you the material; they teach you about life,” Heller shared with Collider.

However, launching an independent production is a challenging endeavor. Fortunately, having established figures like Lowe recognize the brilliance of the script makes it a more attainable goal. When asked what attracted him to this project as both a lead actor and producer, Lowe explained:

“For me, it was so audacious and a really big swing, and yet, really, really grounded and really smart. The characters were great; the dialogue was great. It was just one of the smartest scripts that I’d read in a really long time. When you see the movie, you’ll know what I’m talking about. There’s a very big swing in it. I always like movies where you go, ‘I can’t believe they did that. I can’t believe it goes there.’ And it does. But also the crispness. It really spoke to me. And I also really identified with the character.”

Both Jacobs and Brill concurred with Lowe’s sentiments, but Brill noted that it was director Bonilla who convinced him when she expressed her ambition to be the “female, Mexican Mel Brooks.” Heller elaborated on their admiration for Brooks by stating:

“The Mel Brooks influence is very real. When I was a kid—probably nine years old—my brother showed me The Producers, and it was just like, ‘What is this? I didn’t know movies could be like this.’ Then years later, we’re in our first year of film school at AFI together. We both happened to be reading Mel Brooks’ autobiography, and I was looking for my voice as a writer. I wanted to create something that gives people that feeling. Giselle was someone I met early on who I thought had to be my collaborator on this crazy idea.”

For more on The Musical, watch the full conversation in the video above, with a time index below where the team discusses their new film and shares their thoughts on various movies.

• 00:33 – What Is The Musical?
• 01:13 – Giselle Bonilla Is Going for the “Female, Mexican Mel Brooks”
• 03:02 – How Mel Brooks Inspired the Story
• 04:08 – Building Chemistry and a Cast of Kids
• 06:00 – The Cast’s Spite and Inspiration from Past Teachers
• 08:39 – How the Cast Prepare to Step on Set
• 11:30 – The Musical Team Play Collider’s Bracket Challenge!
• 15:10 – The Crew Also Discuss Their Favorite Movies from Iconic Directors

A special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Arby’s, for making the Collider Studio possible at the Arby’s Cinema Center while providing us with their delicious curly fries, mozzarella sticks, and samples of their new Italian Beef Dip sandwich—a limited-time offering featuring Chicago-style flavors. Additionally, thanks to our supporting partners including Hendrick’s Gin, Sommsation – The Wine Company, Peroni USA, neau water, Bernier, and our producing partner Twenty35 Agency.