by Michele Schmidt
On Sunday, March 22, 2026, the cast of Everybody Wants Some gathered in Austin, Texas at AFS Cinema to celebrate the film’s 10-year anniversary. This Texas made, Richard Linklater ensemble piece, is as well received today as it was in 2016. Set in 1980 in the world of college baseball, this movie is a comedic classic, with an incredible group of actors.
In attendance for the Q&A after the screening were Glen Powell, Zoey Deutch, Wyatt Russell, Tyler Hoechlin, Austin Amelio, Will Britain, J. Quinton Johnson, Temple Baker, and Forrest Vickery from the cast, as well as the film’s writer and director, Linklater. The movie is coined a “spiritual sequel” to Dazed and Confused. Following the players as they settle into college life, there is no shortage of booze, girls, competition, baseball, fun, and dreams coming true. The audience was howling with laughter throughout the viewing.
The cast took the stage to talk about their experiences making the film and the overwhelming message was about the incredible environment established by Linklater that allowed the magic to happen. They spent weeks together in a film camp of sorts creating their characters and rehearsing in the actual space they used in the movie. Linklater made sure they all had athletic experience before finalizing the group so they would look realistic on screen. Each day they would wake up, read their script, play baseball together, watch a movie, then work some more. For two weeks, every person tore apart their dialogue and put it back together collectively. They essentially became their characters and supported each other in that development. The pressure of memorizing an exact script disappeared, and the end result is what you see on screen: pure comedic gold! Glen Powell said, “a movie is only as good as its weakest link. To make something exceptional, everyone has to be in sync.” He credited the cast with coming together as a team in a way he has never experienced again in filmmaking.
The magic doesn’t stop when the film ends either. Johnson had everyone in the cast write their own rap to make a music video for the end credits. It is the perfect chef’s kiss on an already stellar ensemble! If you want to watch a fun, smart, lighthearted yet meaningful film, I highly recommend Everybody Wants Some.
