KillRoy Was Here

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KillRoy Was Here
Killroy Was Here Poster.png
Official teaser image
Directed by Kevin Smith
Screenplay by
  • Kevin Smith
  • Andrew McElfresh
Based on Kilroy was here
by United States servicemen
Produced by
  • Andrew McElfresh
  • Tony Stopperan
  • Joseph Restaino
  • Nick Morgulis
  • Adam Yeremian
Starring
CinematographyBrandon D. Hyde
Edited byBrian Chamberlain
Music bySimon Taufique
Production
companies
Distributed byLegendao
Release date
  • July 12, 2022 (2022-07-12)
Running time
63 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1 million [2]

KillRoy Was Here is a 2022 American comedy horror anthology film [3] directed by Kevin Smith and written by Smith and Andrew McElfresh. The film stars Azita Ghanizada, Ryan O'Nan, Harley Quinn Smith, Chris Jericho, Justin Kucsulain, Jason Mewes, and Ralph Garman. [4]

Contents

The film was released as 5,555 exclusive non-fungible tokens on July 12, 2022, on Legendao, Secret Network's NFT minting platform. It is the first feature film to be released as an NFT. [5]

Premise

The film is a comedy horror anthology centred around the phenomenon of the "Kilroy was here" graffiti. [3]

Cast

Production

Development

In April 2014, Kevin Smith announced the Christmas-themed horror movie Anti-Claus, with a script based on the episode The Christmas Special of his Edumacation podcast. [10] The script was co-written by his Edumacation co-host Andrew McElfresh, marking it the first script Smith collaborated on with another writer. Filming was initially scheduled for September 2014, with Tusk (2014) actors Justin Long, Michael Parks, and Haley Joel Osment returning as cast. [10] The movie centered around the European folklore figure Krampus, a devil-esque creature who punishes naughty children. [11]

The film is a horror anthology based on the graffiti phenomenon that Smith directed, [12] based on a script co-written by him and Andrew McElfresh, marking the first time he shares writing credit on one of his movies. [13] [14] The script is a retooling of their Anti-Claus movie, which was initially cancelled after the release of Krampus (2015) due to the similar story. [15]

Filming

Principal photography began on June 15, 2017, in Sarasota, Florida, with Brandon D. Hyde serving as cinematographer. [16] [17] The film also shot scenes in areas around Ringling College of Art and Design and Nathan Benderson Park, before moving to Longboat Key. [18] In January 2018, Azita Ghanizada, Ryan O'Nan, Justin Kucsulain, Kathryn Parks, Brendan Ragen, Michael Perez, and Cindy De La Cruz were confirmed to be starring in the film, [8] while Andrew McElfresh, Tony Stopperan, Joe Restaino, Nick Morgulis, Jordan Monsanto, and Adam Yeremian signed on as producers. [19] In the same month, Smith's daughter, Harley Quinn Smith, joined the cast. [20] In August 2018, Chris Jericho was confirmed to star in the film, [21] [22] [23] [24] before filming wrapped in October 2018. [25]

Post-production

In April 2020, Smith revealed that the tone and style of KillRoy Was Here were inspired by Creepshow (1982), another comedy horror anthology film. [26] Robert Kurtzman designed the titular character, describing it as a "long-nosed monster". [9] Simon Taufique was revealed to have composed the score for the film. [27] By April 2022, Jason Mewes and Ralph Garman were confirmed to appear in the film. [28]

Release

In February 2020, before the COVID-19 lockdowns, the film was set for a 2020 theatrical release. [29] [30] In July 2020, during San Diego Comic-Con@Home, Smith indicated that the theatrical release had been pushed back to 2021. [31] [32] [33] [34] In April 2021, it was announced that the film would be released exclusively as a non-fungible token (NFT). [35] The film's distribution rights were set to be auctioned off in May 2022 at Jay and Silent Bob's Crypto Studio. [36] KillRoy Was Here was ultimately released via NFT minting platform Legendao as 5,555 exclusive tokens on July 12, 2022. [37] [38]

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Kevin Patrick Smith is an American director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film Clerks (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob, characters who also appeared in Smith's later films Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006), Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019), and Clerks III (2022) which are set primarily in his home state of New Jersey. While not strictly sequential, the films have crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon known as the "View Askewniverse", named after Smith's production company View Askew Productions, which he co-founded with Scott Mosier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarasota, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Sarasota is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Greater Tampa Bay Area, and north of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda. Its official limits include Sarasota Bay and several barrier islands between the bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Sarasota is a principal city of the Sarasota metropolitan area. According to the 2020 U.S. census, Sarasota had a population of 54,842.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Mewes</span> American actor (born 1974)

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Ringling College of Art and Design is a private art and design school in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded by Ludd M. Spivey as an art school in 1931 as a remote branch of Southern College but separated by 1933.

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