‘Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie’ Teaser: Canada’s Merry Pranksters Plan a Truly Bad Stunt

Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol want to jump into Toronto's SkyDome, and nothing can stop them, beyond reason, logic, the law, and their own inherent fallibilities.

There are many, many wonderful films to get excited about seeing next year, but tucked in safe alongside the big budget event films and off-kilter superhero offerings, there’s one bonkers indie gem to get really hyped for.

It’s Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol’s “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie,” the next step in their two-decade-long odyssey/multimedia project/very silly undertaking, a film so nuts that, when it premiered at SXSW earlier this year, we wondered how in the world anyone would even be able to release it. Our own Christian Zilko called it “a glorious copyright nightmare” in his review, which is about as high of praise as we get around these parts.

Enter Neon, who picked up the film in March, and then (very wisely) took it to the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where it played to a very pleased hometown crowd. For a film that hinges on landmarks like the CN Tower and the SkyDome, it’s no surprise the local Canadians flipped for it, but we’re betting Johnson and McCarrol will earn a whole raft of newly minted fans when the film arrives in theaters next February.

So, what’s it about? Hard to say without spoiling some of its best twists and turns, though we advise keen viewers to make note of the flip-flopping logo at the end of the film’s first teaser, which quite obviously (and colorfully!) pays homage to a beloved classic film. What have they got in common? You’ll just have to wait and see.

Earlier this year, McCarrol and Johnson reflected on the wild path their project has taken over the years with IndieWire. “I think one of the whole reasons that it’s endured is ironically because we were just making it for ourselves. And that forbid us to think that anybody else would ever appreciate it the same way that we did. So there was no delusions whatsoever,” Johnson said. “I remember the stupidest we got was when VICE picked it up and we were going to finally make it as a real TV show. I would say that was the most hopeful we were, that people would be like, ‘Wow, people are really finally going to see this show. And they’re really going to like it!’ And VICE was out of business in a year and a half.”

Neon will release “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” in theaters on February 13, 2026. Check out the film’s first teaser below.