Flashback to 1987. A year of wine coolers, broken dreams and $9.44 for an LP record, it is also the setting for Adam Shankman’s new musical “Rock of Ages,” feature film adaptation of the hit Broadway show.

“Rock of Ages” tells the story of a small town girl, Sherrie (Julianne Hough) and a city boy, Drew (Diego Boneta) who meet on the Sunset Strip while looking for a musical dream in Hollywood, their rock ‘n’ roll love story set to a backdrop of hits by some of the 80‘s biggest rock bands, like Def Leppard, Journey and Poison, to name a few.

For Shankman, who said “this music was the wallpaper” of his life, making this movie was all about having the audience stay with him, keeping the story true to the spirit, the energy and the character, and maintaining the integrity of the original, while giving us his own version. “I thought it would be beneficial to keep it as period specific and emotionally connected as I possibly could,” he said in a recent press conference.

Casting a movie like “Rock of Ages” doesn’t seem like an easy task, but Shankman had in mind certain actors, for certain roles and he got everyone he wanted. Joining Hough and Boneta, the stellar cast includes Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman, Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin and Tom Cruise. He adds, “Diego [Boneta and Julianne [Hough had the hardest job, because they don’t get to fall back on all these eccentricities that all the other actors do. They are the unsung heroes of this movie.”

Also being young and relatively new to this business, both Hough and Boneta can identify with their characters in the movie. “Both our characters are dreamers and they want to go out into the world, and there’s a lot of obstacles and challenges that happen but they somehow push through and make it, and that’s us too,” said Hough.

In his feature film debut, Mexican singer and actor Boneta, worked with vocal coach Ron Anderson to “learn how to develop that raspiness and that rock voice without actually hurting my vocal cords and also developing that higher range.” He adds, “Growing up that’s all my parents listened to, it was all 80‘s, before auditioning I knew all these songs.”

Picked by Shankman for being unknown and fresh, Boneta is not scared of becoming an overnight sensation. “I’m just taking it one day at a time. I feel very lucky and very blessed to be in this position after working with an amazing cast. I just hope people enjoy this film as much as we enjoyed shooting it,” he added.

Malin Akerman, plays reporter Constance Sack, love interest to Tom Cruise’s Stacee Jaxx. Akerman remembers her reaction after knowing who’ll be playing her character’s love interest, “I was really excited because I get to act with Tom Cruise! I’m a huge fan. His body of work is so impressive. He’s a really transformative actor, and that’s what he did in this movie. And he can sing!”

When asked if “Rock of Ages” will reach the Beiber generation, she adds, “I think so, for sure. There are so many different age groups in it, it attracts so many different audiences, whether is the music or not. We’ve got to keep this music alive, we’ve got to keep the history of music alive, and this is a fun way to do it.”

Although Ackerman insists it was “a literal zoo” on set, Mary J. Blige feels bad telling people that she had too much fun. “I really enjoyed myself, it was one of the best times in my life, in my career. Really,” said the R&B songstress of the chance of playing Justice, owner of the Venus Gentleman’s Club. “I had such a good time playing Justice because she was loose but strong. She had to be loose enough to run the strip club but she had to be strong enough to keep her grounds and her power with those men,” she added.

Screenwriter Justin Theroux, had the opportunity to see the Broadway show, but didn’t. “When you see a show it makes a big impression, so I didn’t want to have that impression, because I wanted to be writing from this clear place. I always try to honor the material and honor Chris D’Arienzo’s amazing work,” he said. Theroux adds, “The great thing about musicals, when you just come to write scenes and dialog, is that the songs are the emotional center to the scene. A lot of time the end of the scene is when the song ends.”

Keep your eyes open, because to add authenticity, there are several musicians and stage performers appearing in cameos, throughout the film. Be prepared to reminisce with all the classic songs from our past, our youth and get ready to be blown away by the great Stacee Jaxx. And, don’t stop believing!

“Rock of Ages” opening in theaters and IMAX June 15, 2012.