‘It’s a Wonderful Binge’: First look at American High’s first Christmas movie in Syracuse

Merry Bingemas! Hulu has released the first look at “It’s a Wonderful Binge,” American High’s first Christmas movie shot in Syracuse.

Five photos from the holiday film, previously known as “The Binge 2: It’s a Wonderful Binge,” show returning stars Eduardo Franco and Dexter Darden alongside new cast additions Danny Trejo (“Machete”), Nick Swardson (“Grandma’s Boy”), Kaitlin Olson (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) and Tim Meadows (“Saturday Night Live”). One image shows Franco and Darden in animal costumes, as previously seen during filming around Syracuse’s Columbus Circle in February.

“It’s a Wonderful Binge” is a holiday-themed sequel to 2020′s “The Binge,” a sort-of spoof of “The Purge” set in the near future where drugs and alcohol are banned except for one day a year.

“All drugs and alcohol are illegal except on the day of the Binge. Several years after their first Binge, best friends Hags, Andrew, Sarah, and Kimmi face the realities of young adulthood as the annual Binge Day is moved to Christmas Eve. Amidst the chaos, Hags plans a proposal to Sarah while Andrew deals with his rocky relationships with his family and his girlfriend Kimmi. Will they survive this holiday season?” the new synopsis says.

According to IMDb, Trejo is playing “Angel,” Olson is playing “Mayor Spengler,” and Swardson is playing “Uncle Kris.” Franco, Darden, Zainne Saleh, and Marta Piekarz will be reprising their roles from “The Binge” as Andrew, Hags, Sarah, and Kimmi, respectively.

The cast also includes Paul Scheer (“The League”), Karen Maruyama (”Whose Line Is It Anyway?”), Tony Cavalero, Patty Guggenheim, Esteban Benito, and Eileen Galindo.

Original “The Binge” stars Vince Vaughn, Skyler Gisondo, and Grace Van Dien do not appear to have roles. Van Dien and Franco co-starred in “Stranger Things 4″ earlier this year.

• 15 fun facts about 15 American High movies filmed in Syracuse

Jordan VinDina, who wrote both “Binge” movies, makes his feature-length directorial debut with the sequel.

Jeremy Garelick, who directed “The Binge,” produced “It’s a Wonderful Binge” along with Will Phelps, Ryan Bennett and Molle DeBartolo for American High, and Mickey Liddell and Pete Shilaimon for LD Entertainment. LD Entertainment’s Michael Glassman is also on board as an executive producer, as is Andrew Reyes.

“The Binge” is the largest movie ever shot in Syracuse and the first franchise for American High, based in Liverpool, N.Y. More than 2,000 extras and 50-60 local crew members worked on the first film, which included scenes at Syracuse Studios (formerly Liverpool High School and the A.V. Zogg Middle School in Liverpool), Onondaga Lake Parkway, Hanover Square, Carnegie Library, Clinton Square, Village Burger in Liverpool, a bridge in Van Buren, and the Greater Syracuse Soundstage (formerly known as the nano film hub in DeWitt).

“It’s a Wonderful Binge” will be released exclusively on Hulu on Dec. 9. A trailer has not yet been released.

The new movie is one of 15 films shot by American High in the Syracuse area over the last five years, along with “Banana Split,” “Holly Slept Over,” “Looks That Kill,” “Big Time Adolescence,” “The Ultimate Playlist of Noise,” “Plan B,” “Sex Appeal,” “Crush,” I Love My Dad,” “Empire Waist,” “Sid Is Dead,” “Miguel Wants to Fight” and a currently untitled Kevin James film.

See behind-the-scenes photos from “It’s a Wonderful Binge” during filming:

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