Nickandmore!

via Nickelodeon press release:

Internet Phenom ‘Fred’ Stars in First-Ever, Original Film, Fred: The Movie, Premiering in Primetime on Nickelodeon Friday, Sept. 17, at 8:00 P.M. (ET/PT)

Lucas Cruikshank Stars as the Wildly Popular Internet Character, ‘Fred,’ along with iCarly’s Jennette McCurdy, WWE’s John Cena and British Pop Sensation Pixie Lott

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Aug. 6 — “Fred” (a.k.a. “Fred Figglehorn”), one of the most popular internet characters of all time, will land on Nickelodeon in his first-ever film, Fred: The Movie, premiering Friday, Sept. 17, at 8:00 P.M. (ET/PT). Similar to real-life teenager Lucas Cruikshank’s fast-talking, hyperactive videos that have received upwards of 530 million views, the film will center on Fred’s biggest adventure yet in trying to win over his unrequited love, Judy.

Fred: The Movie stars Cruikshank in the title role and features iCarly’s Jennette McCurdy as Bertha, WWE’s John Cena as Fred’s dad and Siobhan Fallon as Fred’s mom.  The film follows Fred after he discovers his long-time crush, Judy, played by British teen sensation Pixie Lott in her film debut, has moved away.  Fred embarks on a journey to find her, and when he does, he’s devastated that he hasn’t been invited to her party.  This blow fuels a grand scheme that ultimately makes Fred cooler than his classmates could ever imagine… and he may even get the girl.  Fred: The Movie was conceived and developed by Brian Robbins.  The film is produced by Robbins and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett of Varsity Pictures and Gary Binkow and Evan Weiss of The Collective.  The movie is directed by Clay Weiner and written by David A. Goodman (Family Guy).

“Internet comedy is a great unifier and Fred is already a mega-star with kids of all ages and genders,” said Marjorie Cohn, President, Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon. “While the fans will be super psyched at meeting all the regulars of Fred’s world, the movie will also bring in a brand new audience who will love its unique tone.”

Lucas Cruikshank first introduced Fred to internet audiences in 2008, and the Fred Channel soon became the fastest-growing channel in YouTube history.  Each short follows Fred as he deals with his crush Judy, his nemesis Kevin, and his inept mother.  While he may be socially awkward and emotionally immature, Fred’s wild imagination and irrational approach to situations make him both hilarious and endearing to his audience.  Lucas Cruikshank made his TV debut as Fred Figglehorn in the hit series iCarly in 2009.  The episode, “iMeet Fred,” drew 5.1 million total viewers (P2+) and averaged 10.0/2.1 million Kids 6-11, a 9.6/2.1 million Tweens 9-14, and 8.1/2.8 million Kids 2-11.  He was recently named one of “10 Comics to Watch” by Daily Variety and was listed among the 50 Top Digital Power Players of 2010 by The Hollywood Reporter.

Fred: The Movie will be supported by a new site at www.Nick.com/fred and will serve as a first-look location for fans to get information and fun facts about the movie and view exclusive footage of Fred and his world. New content will be added to the site regularly leading up to the movie premiere and over the next several weeks, the site will feature exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, trailers, the first Fred game, photo galleries, and more.

Producer Brian Robbins, founder and president of Varsity Pictures, is one of entertainment’s most prolific producers.  In features, Robbins has directed and/or produced films such as Disney’s Wild Hogs, Dreamworks’ Norbit, Paramount’s Coach Carter, Disney’s The Shaggy Dog, Sony’s Radio, Paramount’s Varsity Blues, and the upcoming Dreamworks movie, A Thousand Words, starring Eddie Murphy, which Robbins directed and produced.  Robbins is also responsible for numerous popular and critical television hits, including the long-running CW series Smallville and One Tree Hill, Disney Channel’s series Sonny With A Chance and Spike TV’s new original scripted comedy, Blue Mountain State.  Robbins was also the producing force behind series such as Nickelodeon’s All That, WB’s What I Like About You and HBO’s Arli$$.

Producer/manager Michael Green founded The Collective in 2005 with a vision of creating a true 21st century management and production company. His model: a collaborative approach to generating unmatched opportunities for clients, creating a diverse and dynamic portfolio of assets and cultivating new avenues for the distribution of content that ultimately clients would be empowered to control.  The Collective has a staff of 60 employees, including some of the industry’s most respected senior executives, who collectively pursue the company’s primary objective – to provide the client with a single full-service, multi-media management and production company.   Under the leadership of CEO Michael Green The Collective has expanded into five divisions comprising feature film packaging, digital media, home entertainment, music, live entertainment, television production and the representation of clients including Martin Lawrence, Katt Williams, John Leguizamo, Eddie Izzard, Emile Hirsch, Lucas Cruikshank, Linkin Park, Slash, and Enrique Iglesias, among others.

Nickelodeon, now in its 31st year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 16 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).