A theatrical release was hard to picture, given the close-up style of the web series; Nickelodeon seems like a much better fit. Varsity Pictures studio head Brian Robbins hopes to release a second movie in theaters after the Nickelodeon debut expands Fred's audience beyond the millions who already watch online, though.
Fred has either topped or hung out near the top of Visible Measures and Mashable's monthly webisodes chart since its inception. It held the number one spot on YouTube's charts for ages, but it was bumped down to number two a few months ago. Still, half a billion views is impressive.
That popularity has already helped Cruikshank lay the groundwork for a career beyond the web. This movie won't be Cruikshank's Nickelodeon debut; he has previously appeared in a cameo role as Fred on Nick TV series iCarly.
In addition to Cruikshank, Fred: The Movie will star Pixie Lott, John Cena and Siobhan Fallon. The script was written by David Goodman and the director is Clay Weiner.