We first heard about the film Driven thanks to Richard Speight, Jr., as it was one of his new projects and he was posting on social media about filming. As you, our readers know, we love Rich and we love supporting his projects.
According to the website, here’s more about the film:
“Emerson Graham’s nights as a cab driver are filled with annoyances and inconveniences, but until tonight, never attacks and disappearances. After picking up a mysterious passenger her evening goes from working a job to performing a quest as she must race against the clock to defeat a force of evil. The meter is running.”
The synopsis doesn’t give much away, and the filmmakers, Glenn Payne and Casey Dillard, like it that way. We’ve been learning little by little about the film, thanks to pictures that are posted frequently on the film’s Twitter, which you can see here.
We recently had the chance to ask Glenn and Casey a series of questions about the film, Rich, and more. Read the interview below!
Nerds and Beyond: Can you tell us a little more about your past projects and why you wanted to do this film and where the idea for it came from?
Casey: Writing-wise I’ve done a lot of sketches and shorts, but this is my first feature, which I’ve been needing to push through on for a while. I wanted to make something fun that people would still find suspenseful and get invested in. The seed started with Glenn’s concept. Acting, I’m all over the place. Stage, film, improv, I can’t get enough.
Glenn: I’ve been making movies for several years now. Mostly shorts, but I’ve tackled a few features. I came up with an idea for a movie that takes place entirely in a car and that’s where “Driven” came from. It was going to be our no-budget feature.
Nerds and Beyond: There’s a brief synopsis on your website where we can get in a peek into what the film’s about. Are there any more details you can reveal?
Casey: No. 😉
Glenn: I’d love to talk more about it, but I’d rather that everyone experienced it while they watched it.
Nerds and Beyond: Where was filming located? Are there any fun stories you can tell that happened during the course of filming?
Casey: It was all in Tupelo, MS. There are stories that are fun in hindsight since we actually pulled off the shoot, but they were a nightmare in real time; crew getting frozen in at their cabin, a random cold snap that hit for the two weeks we were filming and magically lifted the day we wrapped. I did a pre-production to shooting write-up on my blog. http://amusingcasey.blogspot.com/
Glenn: There are funny stories galore. Now that we’re in the editing phase one of my favorite things to do is listen to Casey and Rich before each take starts. They’re both hilarious and play so well off each other. In one scene they exit the car and walk towards a building while the camera stays in the vehicle. Rich was talking about his character’s great great grandfather and every take we did he would totally change the story of what his profession was. I still watch those clips when I need a laugh.
Nerds and Beyond: We here at Nerds & Beyond love Richard Speight, Jr. – Is there any more you can tell us about his character?
Casey: Roger is probably my favorite character I’ve ever written. I haven’t seen Speight play a similar character before (doesn’t mean he hasn’t, just means I haven’t seen it). He’s very wealthy, he’s very studied, and he’s very determined.
Glenn: We love him, too! I can’t say a lot about his character without spoilers, but people are going to be blown away by how well he did.
Nerds and Beyond: Filming has been completed and you’re now in post-production. Will there be a trailer or any clips coming soon? Is there an estimated release date?
Casey: I hope so!
Glenn: It’ll still be a few months before we complete the film, but we’ll definitely be releasing stuff along the way! There will probably be a teaser in the near future.
Casey: We’re on facebook, Instagram and Twitter (@drivenmovie) and those will be updated pretty regularly.
Nerds and Beyond: What are some of your favorite thriller films?
Casey: The Babadook is the only scary movie that has also made me cry, Housebound and Get Out, for the skillful way that they combined scary elements with comedy.
Glenn: It can be really hard to define genres, but Take Shelter, Get Out, and Moon are a few of mine. Driven is definitely more comedic than those, but they have a storytelling style that I love.
Nerds and Beyond: What’s something that you’re “nerding out” on right now?Casey: Comics: Doctor Aphra, Giant Days, and Seconds. Books: I need new suggestions. TV: I just finished “Everything Sucks” and now I’m rewatching “Peep Show” for the third time. Somebody help me break the cycle and tell me a great show! Oh, and Black Panther wasn’t perfect, but it should be required viewing for world-building. And Okoye. I’m nerding out on Okoye pretty hard.
Glenn: Hmmm… Probably the fact that Gabriel is back on Supernatural! I’ve been a fan of the show for a long time so I’m really curious to see where they take that storyline.
Nerds and Beyond: We have a running theme of asking people what their lightsaber color would be. So, if given the choice, what would you choose?
Glenn: Could I make a black one? Maybe it would be harder to see during battle which would give me an advantage by hiding my complete lack of fighting skills.
Casey: A black lightsaber is used by those who are consumed with self-obsession, which… No comment. Probably purple. Maybe orange (or whatever color Yaddle used). And can I get a lightwhip like Lumiya?
Nerds and Beyond: Last question – anything you’d like to say to our readers?
Casey: There is so much good stuff out there. Thanks for taking an interest in our content! Oh, and if you’re an Amazon Prime user the first two episodes of our series, “Stagrassle Paranormal” are available to watch for free!
Glenn: That we appreciate you guys taking the time to check out our project. It’s a thrill-packed adventure with tons of laughs so we hope you’ll follow us on social media and join us for the ride.
Thank you to Glenn and Casey for taking the time to answer a few questions for us! Don’t forget to check out their website, Twitter,
and Facebook. They’ve also released an 11×17 poster of the film, featuring Rich, that you can purchase here!
and Facebook. They’ve also released an 11×17 poster of the film, featuring Rich, that you can purchase here!