Green Day is preparing to debut their latest project, not on a stage but on the big screen. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees will premiere New Years Rev, a road trip comedy directed by Lee Kirk, at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sept. 12. The band, who produced the film and contributed more than a dozen of their songs to the soundtrack, hinted in a social media post that the TIFF premiere “is just the beginning.”

New Years Rev follows three aspiring musicians: Mason Thames, Kylr Coffman, and Ryan Foust, who star as the Analog Dogs, a young garage-rock band from Kansas. Believing they’ve been booked as the opening act for Green Day’s New Year’s Eve show in California, they set off on a cross-country journey. What they don’t know, however, is that the gig was never real, the supposed invitation was a prank orchestrated by one of their brothers.

Despite the deception, the band’s naive optimism fuels their trip west. A synopsis describes the trio as determined to “drop off a demo to their beloved idols in hopes of earning some recognition,” capturing the restless ambition that Green Day themselves once lived through in their early days of touring.

The film draws heavily from Green Day’s own experience as young musicians, traveling from city to city in a van and chasing opportunities wherever they could find them. The band has described the movie as a “love letter” to the classic road trip genre, as well as to the spirit of ‘90s alternative culture.

The screenplay was written and directed by Kirk, whose past credits include The Giant Mechanical Man. Green Day produced the film alongside Tim Perell, Jolene, Stella Bulochnikov, Robin Rapino, Ryan Kroft, and Anna Keegan. The cast includes McKenna Grace, Fred Armisen, Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey, and Bobby Lee, with cameos and musical performances scattered throughout.

“It’s packed with all of your favorite Green Day songs, loaded with mischief, and lots of familiar faces,” the band wrote on Instagram when unveiling details of the project.

Earlier this year, the production team invited fans to participate in the movie. A February casting call asked for “punks, emo, hardcore, alternative and rocker young adults, aged 18-30,” to appear in a sequence built around a pop-up concert. The shoot promised “live music, skateboarding, and a rowdy good time,” encouraging fans to become part of the fictional yet familiar Green Day universe.

While TIFF marks the official premiere, Green Day’s statement that “Toronto is just the beginning” suggests additional screenings or release plans are forthcoming. No wide release date has been announced yet.

For Green Day, New Years Rev represents both a continuation and an expansion of their creative identity. Known for albums such as Dookie, American Idiot, and most recently Saviors, the group has long combined humor, irreverence, and social commentary in their music. Moving into film production allows them to extend those sensibilities into a new medium while revisiting the youthful energy that fueled their rise.

As TIFF audiences prepare to see the movie first, the project also underlines Green Day’s continuing relevance after more than three decades in music. Whether through chart-topping albums, political anthems, or now a feature film, the band remains committed to pushing its work into new territory.