Black plays struggling rock guitarist Dewey Finn, who is fired from his band and subsequently poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school.
Guitarist Dewey Finn creates on-stage antics, including an unsuccessful stage dive that abruptly ends the performance.
While trying to sell some of his equipment, Dewey answers a phone call from Rosalie Mullins, the principal of the Horace Green prep school, inquiring for Ned about a short-term position as a substitute teacher.
He assigns the rest of the class to various roles of co-lead and backup singers, groupies and roadies, with overachiever Summer Hathaway as band manager.
Dewey reassures Lawrence, who is worried about not being cool enough for the band; Zack, whose overbearing father disapproves of rock music; and Tomika, an overweight girl who is too self-conscious to audition for co-lead and backup singer despite having a powerful voice.
Dewey sneaks the key band members out of school for the audition while the rest of the class stay behind to maintain cover.
Not wanting their hard work to go to waste, the kids sneak out of the school and direct a bus to take them to pick up Dewey.
Though initially upset at the deception, the parents admit to being impressed by the kids' talent and confidence on stage, with Rosalie even becoming ecstatic.
Some time later, an after-school program known as the School of Rock opens and Summer has obtained many offers for shows and record deals from the band.
[9][10] Jack Black once witnessed a stage dive gone wrong involving Ian Astbury of rock band The Cult, which made its way into the film.
Linklater came up with the idea to shoot a video on the stage used at the film's ending, in which Jack Black begs the band for permission with the crowd extras cheering and chanting behind him.
The video was sent directly to the living members of Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones), who granted permission for the song.
[14] In its second weekend, the film declined just 21 percent, earning another $15,487,832 after expanding to 2,929 theaters, averaging $5,288 per venue and bringing the ten-day gross to $39,671,396.
[25][26][27] On December 18, 2014, the musical was officially confirmed and it was announced that the show would receive its world premiere on Broadway in autumn 2015, at the Winter Garden Theatre.
[29] The musical has a book by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes,[30] and is directed by Laurence Connor,[31] with choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter,[32] set and costume design by Anna Louizos[33] and lighting by Natasha Katz.
School of Rock became Lloyd Webber's first show opening on Broadway before London since Jesus Christ Superstar in 1971.
Those in attendance included director Richard Linklater, Jack Black, Mike White, Miranda Cosgrove and the rest of the young cast members, except for Cole Hawkins (who played Leonard).
[40] It starred Breanna Yde, Ricardo Hurtado, Jade Pettyjohn, Lance Lim, Aidan Miner and Tony Cavalero.