Release date set for 'Spring Breakers' movie shot in Sarasota, St. Petersburg

Vanessa Hudgens (Candy) looks menacing, gracing the new teaser poster in her pink balaclava.

Last March teen queen Selena Gomez told her 10.6 million Twitter followers that she was “loving Florida” shortly before arriving on location at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota to shoot the controversial film “Spring Breakers.”

MTVNews.com has announced it will be showing the trailer for the movie at 7 a.m. Thursday. The movie's release date is set for March 22 in New York and Los Angeles, followed by a nationwide release the following week, according to the film's official website.

The latest by writer-director Harmony Korine (“Kids,” “Gummo”), "Spring Breakers" also stars Oscar nominee James Franco, Vanessa Hudgens (“High School Musical”), Ashley Benson (“Pretty Little Liars”) and Heather Morris (“Glee”).

“Spring Breakers” is about best friends since grade school -- Brit, Candy, Cotty and Faith -- who live together in a boring college dorm and are seeking adventure.

“All they have to do is save enough money for spring break to get their shot at having some real fun,” the Muse Productions website reads. “A serendipitous encounter with rapper ‘Alien’ promises to provide the girls with all the thrill and excitement they could hope for.

“With the encouragement of their new friend, it soon becomes unclear how far the girls are willing to go to experience a spring break they will never forget.”

Muse Productions, the production company behind "Spring Breakers," has also produced edgy features like “American Psycho,” “Buffalo 66” and “Spun.”

Korine co-wrote the screenplay for the critically acclaimed, highly controversial, unrated film “Kids,” which came out in 1995.

He also wrote and directed the equally divisive 1997 movie “Gummo,” rated NC-17.



—Photo from Muse Productions

Bradenton, Sarasota on big, small screen with 'Spring Breakers,' ESPN2 and Comedy Central

Manatee rocked last Sunday afternoon on national TV.

The powerhouse high school football team opened the regular season with a 41-6 pummeling of Miramar live on ESPN2.

Not bad publicity for Bradenton, which got mentioned many times.

But would it kill the network to spend some down time, and there was plenty Sunday, showing off the Bradenton area beyond Hawkins Stadium?

How about mention our famous sugary sand beaches?

Or Riverwalk?

Or some of our famed, fresh seafood-serving restaurants?

Did ESPN even have access to such information?

If not, someone dropped the ball.

Meanwhile, film critics and such from around the world saw Sarasota.

And it caused a stir.

It seems Selena Gomez has gone from Disney darling to wild child thanks to her "shocking" new movie "Spring Breakers."

In March, scenes were filmed at the Ringling College of Art and Design and other parts of Sarasota as well as St. Pete Beach.

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2012/09/09/4190054/bradenton-sarasota-on-big-small.html#storylink=cpy

Read more.

Actress Selena Gomez poses at the photo call for the film 'Spring Breakers' at the 69th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012.

Joel Ryan — AP Photo

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2012/09/05/4186278/selena-gomez-breaks-type-in-spring.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

Selena Gomez gets wild in 'shocking' movie 'Spring Breakers' filmed in Sarasota

Selena Gomez has gone from Disney darling to wild child thanks to her shocking new movie "Spring Breakers," which had scenes filmed at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota in March.

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2012/03/02/3912732/teen-queen-and-current-justin.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

The movie premieres at the Venice film festival on Wednesday.

Directed by Harmony Korine, it stars Gomez and fellow Disney graduate Vanessa Hudgens "as bikini-clad revellers on a drink- and drug-fuelled orgy of beach parties and pranks," according to Reuters.

"The camera zooms in on scantily clad teenagers gyrating to the music, local drug dealers snort cocaine from writhing, topless girls and mobsters cruise the streets of Florida in Lamborghinis in a hedonistic portrait of the 'American Dream'".

Gomez plays Faith, one of four wild young college students celebrating"spring break."

"Obviously I know that coming from Disney Channel gives you kind of a brand in a way," the 20-year-old told reporters in Venice after the movie was screened to the press.

"People do put a label on you. I know that I have younger fans, and this is an opportunity for myself to kind of grow. It is a little shocking, I think, for the younger audiences ... but I think it was right for me."

Selena Gomez shooting movie next week in Sarasota

'Spring Breakers' official site

—Photo of Selena Gomez playing to a standing room only crowd Oct. 10, 2011, at the Fresno Fair in Fresno, Calif. MCCLATCHY FILE PHOTO

UPDATED 3/2: Selena Gomez headed to Sarasota for filming of 'Spring Breakers'

UPDATED 3/2: 'Justin Bieber babe Selena Gomez shooting movie next week in Sarasota'

It appears the movie "Spring Breakers," starring Oscar nominee James Franco and singer/former Disney darling/current Justin Bieber girlfriend Selena Gomez, will be filming next week at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota.

Writer-director Harmony Korine ("Kids," "Gummo") will shoot scenes with Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens ("High School Musical"), Ashley Benson ("Pretty Little Liars") and Heather Morris ("Glee") on the local campus, according to a report in the Tampa Bay Times.

Franco will reportedly not be in Sarasota and join the production at a later, undisclosed date in St. Pete Beach.

The film is about four college girls who go to jail after robbing a restaurant in order to fund their spring break vacation,  according to IMDB.com. They then find themselves bailed out by a drug and arms dealer who wants them to do some dirty work.

Christine Meeker-Lange, special assistant to the president for media and community relations at Ringling College, told the Times that exteriors will be filmed on campus as well as scenes in student housing and a laundry room.

"We don't have the details of who is shooting when," Meeker-Lange said. "I think that's purposeful and I appreciate that. We want them to have the best experience possible."

—Photo: Selena Gomez performs at the 2011 MTV European Music Awards in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in November. Credit: Joel Ryan/Associated Press