The acclaimed book, Paper Towns, by author John Green (The Fault in Our Stars) is coming to the big screen Friday, July 24. But first, Green and stars of the film stopped by Dallas for an exclusive fan event and sneak peek at the movie.
Green was joined at the newly re-opend Bomb Factory by stars Nat Wolff (Quentin) and Halston Sage (Lacey), the band Saint Motel, and a slew of YouTube stars (Gaby Dunn, Allison Raskin, RJ Aguiar, Daniel Betancourt and Evelina). The cast and author walked the red carpet, greeting hundreds of screaming fans whom had endured the Texas heat for a chance at an interview or hug from the author and stars. We were lucky enough to chat with the cast and author about the film project. Check out the video interview from DeAndre Upshaw and Bethany Smith below:
Inside, even more fans awaited the group for a special fan Q&A. But first, Saint Motel, an artist featured on the Paper Towns soundtrack for their hit “My Type”, played 3 upbeat tunes to warm everyone up. Star Nat Wolff and ran out at the end to hype the crowd even more.
Next, the fans were treated to an even bigger surprise: an exclusive 20-minute sneak peek at the film. For those unfamiliar with the book, Paper Towns tells the coming of age story of Quentin (Nat Wolff). An awkward, quiet teen lusting after Margo Roth Spiegelman (Cara Delevingne), the girl of his dreams and the most popular girl in school. When she unexpectedly shows up in his bedroom window one night and takes him an a wild adventure, he thinks his life is about to change. It does, but not in the way he expects. The next day, she’s disappeared and left behind clues to track her down. Quentin is joined in his search by his two best friends as well and Margo’s best friend Lacey (Halston Sage). Their search leads them on a wild adventure and road trip in search of Margo, but along the way Quentin really finds himself.
The sneak peek showed off Quentin and Margo’s wild night before her disappearance. With every sly smile, awkward side look from Quentin and briefest of finger brushes, fans squealed with excitement. The pacing and music breathed fresh life into the book, giving reality a bit of a John Hughes filter.
After the sneak peek, Wolff, Sage and Green came out on stage to answer a few questions. They joked about life on the set, the power of social media and even briefly touched on that other book (TFIOS), which has a surprising connection to this new film’s adaptation outside of the obvious Green/Wolff worked together on on bother. It was amazing to see how much this story meant to so many in attendance. The questions showed that each fan really envisioned themselves as a part of the world Green had crafted. One young girl even broke down into tears when it was her turn to talk to her hero.
If the size of the crowd and their reaction is anything to go by, this fan event accomplished its mission and left the audience salivating for more. Paper Towns might easily be the quiet hit of the summer. Catch it in theaters July 24.
