Murder, Anyone? is not your typical comedy. Director-producer James Cullen Bresack had his hands full with this one. Not only is it a zany meta style of comedy we don’t see much of today. It was also the first film he adapted from his late father’s, Gordon Bressack, list of scripts written for theatre. He promised his dad that he would adapt his work for the screen. It’s a promise James is keeping and decided to start with the last script his dad finished.
Most of us grew up with the elder Bressack’s work as he touched most of the cartoons we loved going back to the mid-80s. Most notably, his tenures with Pinky and The Brain, Animaniacs, and Tiny Toon Adventures. His style of comedy was big and bawdy and it’s hard to not see the thumbprints when watching Murder, Anyone?
In the film, two playwrights, George and Charlie, are tasked with the challenge of creating the next “avant-garde, surrealistic, mind-bending neo-noir thriller”. As they write, the story comes to life in real-time.
We caught up with James to talk to him about this film, and the process of working on something so personal.
JCB: I felt like it was a fitting film to start with, especially because it was the last creative endeavor my father completed before he passed away. So it felt natural to progress right into this story. Additionally, the film is about two writers arguing about whether the project that they are writing should be a movie or play, and that is an argument that my father and I had many times. So seeing as the idea for the project was spurred by conversations that he and I had, it felt only natural to start there.
JCB: He has this play called Fuggedaboutit, which is about a male model with amnesia, and that feels like the next comedic endeavor I will tackle of his plays. These projects are very fun for me as they seem to be things that I’m able to do between my action movies. They are just pure fun and entertainment, and it’s almost like a vacation for me.
JCB: Before my dad passed away, he asked me not to let his scripts die on a hard drive with him. So when that day came he asked me to look at his hard drive for all of his scripts, and it took me about two and a half years to actually do it. No one can really tell you when you’re ready, but when it’s time you just know. My father always told me that every movie I make before I turn 30 would be known as my early work, so I should make as many movies as possible as a director. So I felt it fitting that the last movie I made before turning 30 was his script. We wrapped around my 30th birthday, and I wanted his words to carry me into the next chapter of my life.
JCB: I just kept a light attitude and surrounded myself with a cast and crew made up of friends. I think the anxiety and build-up to making it was the hard part, but when we were on set, that part was all fun. We were constantly cracking jokes and keeping it light.
JCB: Thank you for the kind words about my dad and his writing. One of the most difficult challenges of making the film was that I had seen the play that my dad had both written and directed. So, putting my own spin on it while preserving what he originally had intended was a difficult balance. It almost felt as if there were two directors tackling the project.
JCB: Maurice LaMarche and my dad were best friends, so I’ve known Moe pretty much my entire life. He’s like family, and he was very much on board for making this very special project for my father. Charlie Howell was also my father’s writing partner his entire career, and I’ve known him my entire life. He’s also like family, so naturally, he was very keen on being involved as well.
JCB: No, my process is pretty similar on all movies. I still break down the script, and shot list and prepare to make the film. The only difference really is the style that I choose to proceed with and the thought process. Pre-production stays consistent. The only thing that changes is the creative and the ideas.
JCB: Honestly, I feel like this is more in my comfort zone because it’s what I grew up around. For me, making a movie like this was something I thought about my entire life. My entire career people said that everything I got made was because of who my dad was. That never helped my career other than a bragging right. People wanted to write off my accomplishments because of that “nepotism,” but my dad never gave me a job, nor did he open a single door for me. I leaned away from the comedy genre to not give that argument more ammunition, but now that he’s passed away I felt it was my duty to carry the comedic torch in his honor.
JCB: How difficult it was to convince Spencer Breslin to wear a chicken suit every day. The answer is actually another question-–how difficult it was to get Spencer to NOT wear the chicken suit in real life. He loved that thing.
JCB: Darkness of Man starring Jean Claude Van Damme. It’s a neo-noir action film, and it’s going to be badass.
Murder, Anyone? comes to digital and VOD on February 10, 2023.
Let me know if you’re excited to check out Murder, Anyone? at @misssharai.