Nick Jonas has come a long way since Camp Rock. The actor-slash-singer-slash-carpool karaoke collaborator currently stars on the Audience Network’s warmly received Kingdom, where he plays an MMA fighter, and he also appeared in season one of Fox’s Scream Queens. His next role combines the intensity of the former with the university setting of the letter. Goat follows 19-year-old Brad (played by Ben Schnetzer) whose mind is torn between his future at college, and the past summer when he was assaulted. His brother, Brett (Jonas), is a member of a fraternity that Brad wants to join.
This is where hazing hijinks would typically ensue (think: Animal House, Old School, most movies about college) — not in Goat, though. “As the pledging ritual moves into hell week, a rite that promises to usher these unproven boys into manhood, the stakes violently increase with a series of torturous and humiliating events,” the official plot description reads. “What occurs in the name of ‘brotherhood’ tests both boys and their relationship in brutal ways.”
Goat premiered at Sundance to an avalanche of buzz (and strong reviews). The film was co-written by Pineapple Express‘ David Gordon Green, directed by Andrew Neel (who worked on the script with Green and Mike Roberts, adapting a memoir by Brad Land), produced by James Franco (who also has a supporting role), and, well, say the name “Nick Jonas” in public and you’re likely to hear excited shrieks from thousands of young fans. Goat won’t be released to theaters and On-Demand until September 23, but you can check out the exclusive poster below.
