David Wain and Ken Marino have been collaborating since their days in The State, the 1990s sketch group. Gail Daughtry is their most elaborate structure yet.
The character was deliberately designed as a reverse Dorothy Gale. The last name echoes "Gale." Gail's journey from Kansas to Los Angeles maps directly to Dorothy's trip to Oz, and the supporting cast was built around archetypes of the Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and Scarecrow.
Production moved fast. The whole film shot in 21 days. The Kansas opening sequences were filmed on an LA backlot, not Kansas. Editor John Daigle cut the film at Wain's home, with regular living room screenings to test material along the way. First cut ran about 140 minutes. It went to Sundance at 93.
Sony Pictures Classics outbid Republic Pictures, Lionsgate, and Vertical for the rights.
No comments yet