Is 2012’s ‘Project X’ based on a true story?

The 2012 comedy Project X depicts one of the craziest parties of all time. Although such an obvious plot need not have real-life inspiration, folks are convinced that it’s based on an actual epic house party thrown by an Australian teen in 2008. With hundreds of drunken kids spilling into the street, private and public property damage, a police helicopter circling overhead, and a threatened fine of AU $20,000, the party was an international sensation that turned its 16-year-old host into a temporary celebrity. That Aussie bash sounds like the X in Project X, but the truth is more complicated.

Similarities between the film and Corey Worthington’s party

Corey Worthington is the teen responsible for the headline-making Australian party. He threw it at his mom and stepdad’s house while they were on vacation, which mirrors Thomas’ situation in Project X. The fictional high school student throws a party at his parents’ house while they are gone for the weekend. Unbeknownst to Thomas, his friend Costa promoted the party on Craigslist and local radio, causing hundreds of strangers to arrive. Likewise, the roughly 500 people that crashed Worthington’s party were sourced from MySpace and MSN. Both parties involved illicit substances, property damage, and a serious police response. Lastly, Project X ends with a TV interview featuring Costa, which invokes the unrepentant interview Worthington gave Australian news about the party.

Project X‘s director on Worthington’s party

Right before Project X‘s release, CinemaBlend asked director Nima Nourizadeh about Worthington’s party. He denied it having any influence on his film, saying, “It’s funny you say that, because a few people have asked me that. No, I actually wasn’t inspired by or anything like that from that thing.”

Admitted inspirations

Project X‘s direct inspiration, Nourizadeh said, was a party “that happened in the countryside in London” and became a “mass melee.” It was a similar event to Worthington’s, only the parents were present. Parties gone out of control are a dime a dozen, so in addition to the London fiasco, Nourizadeh researched many such blowouts across the world. As social media was expanding during that time, “Facebook parties,” in Nourizadeh’s words, were becoming huge. It was that growing phenomenon which inspired the director of Project X, not any single party.

For Project X‘s writer and producers, the inspiration was even simpler. They wanted to make a movie about “the craziest, gnarliest high school party of all time.” That’s what Todd Phillips and Scott Budnick asked Michael Bacall to write in 2009. “I thought it was a pretty cool idea,” said Bacall. “I wrote a pretty extensive treatment for it.”

Phillips stated that Project X was an “experiment” conceived by executive producer Alex Heineman. “Once we got the concept from Alex Heineman,” he said, “a bunch of us sat around in a room and tossed out stories about memorable parties, ones that we were either a part of or had just heard about. From there, it was about figuring out the vibe, the tone, the story of the movie. That’s the fun part.”

Project X isn’t based on a true story; it’s based on numerous true stories of wild parties gleaned from the media and the personal lives of the filmmakers. Although no one has admitted to drawing inspiration from Worthington’s legendary shaker, it is similar enough to be a probable predecessor.

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