Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence unveils a promo video, and we talked to the cast!
We’ve been hearing rumblings of a reboot of the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes franchise for a long time. Seventeen years, in fact. Now, after attempts by the duo behind the internet web series Ask a Ninja and filmmaker Dustin Ferguson to make a new movie fell through, a new entry in the franchise, titled Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence, has finally made its way through production and is set to receive a theatrical release this Halloween, courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment. The new Killer Tomatoes movie unveiled a promo video over the weekend (you can watch that in the embed above) and also has a presence at San Diego Comic-Con, where JoBlo’s own Mike Conway was able to catch up with several cast members and one of the producers!
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence is being referred to as a reboot simply because it’s the first Killer Tomatoes movie to come along in more than thirty years, but the cast list we first saw a couple months ago makes it clear that this is actually a sequel to the existing films. Released in 1978, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes was followed by Return of the Killer Tomatoes! in 1988, Killer Tomatoes Strike Back! in 1991, and Killer Tomatoes Eat France! in 1992. The sequels (and the animated series, which ran for two seasons, from 1990 to 1991) brought in John Astin as the villainous Professor Mortimer Gangreen (a.k.a. Dr. Putrid T. Gangreen), and Astin reprises the role in the new film!
Directed by David Ferino (Nocturnally Yours) from a screenplay by former franchise star J. Stephen Peace and Costa Dillon, who crafted the story for the original film and returned to co-write all of the sequels, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence is said to pit the eternal power of nature against AI’s best and brightest.
Astin is joined in the cast by Dan Bakkedahl (Veep) as Wilbur Finletter, a character played by J. Stephen Peace in the previous films; David Koechner (Anchorman) as the U.S. president’s Press Secretary, Daniel Roebuck (The Munsters) as the admiral burdened by 50 years of burying the truth, Catherine Corcoran (Terrifier) as the rampage’s first victim, Paul Bates (Coming to America) as a loopy “disguise expert,” Samantha Bailey (The Listening) as Kate Patel, “genius” CEO of VegIntel and inventor of “MyTomato” – the “O.I.” solution to all the fears that AI can’t fix; Joshua Poon (Bad Boys), who ensures that the world experiences every slimy moment as The Influencer; and Vernee Watson (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) as a tech specialist whose down-home instincts anchor the team of “Tomato Guardians,” along with Runaway Train Oscar nominee Eric Roberts, Myrna Velasco (Star Wars: Resistance) as Marina Sifuentes, an FVI (Federal Vegetable Investigator) agent; and Noor Razooky (The Old Man) as Angela, the marine biologist who first discovers that tomatoes are acting suspicious (again). Also in the the cast is Zachary Roozen (Romeo and Juliet Killers), who plays Chad Finletter, a character first portrayed by Anthony Starke in Return of the Killer Tomatoes.
W. Finletter Films and Killer Tomatoes Entertainment partnered with Atomic Toybox Entertainment (Michael Polis) and IVC/Olas Media (Chad Peace, Juan Hernandez, and Anthony Aslofi) to oversee the production of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence, with Polis and Roger M. Mayer producing. J. Stephen Peace and Costa Dillon served as executive producers.
Polis told Conway that he was drawn to this project because “I am a big fan of things that are quirky and fun and a little bit weird, and this fits all three.” He said that the movie is currently in post-production and doesn’t have a specific release date yet, but it will have a limited theatrical release at minimum, but if audiences show up it will expand into a wider release. Speaking of the special effects, Polis said, “We’ve got puppets, we’ve got live-action, it’s predominantly a live-action movie, but we have puppets. I was with the Jim Henson Company for eight years, so puppets are a natural fit, and we’re also doing some animation. I was CEO of a company called WildBrain, which produced shows like Yo Gabba Gabba! and lots of animation for different series out there, for Disney, for Nickelodeon, so we’re adding a little animation to the new project as well.“
When asked to describe the plot, Polis answered, “The tomatoes are back. Actually, they’ve always been here. Unfortunately, history, we try and cover things up, so the Hindenburg was really a tomato attack, but we covered it up by saying it was a hydrogen explosion. So there’s a group of guardians that go out and protect us from these tomatoes, but the tomatoes have now come back with a vengeance. It’s combating this particular uprising, but also a passing of the torch to a new generation of tomato fighters.“
Razooky told Conway she was drawn to Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence due to the playfulness of it and how unserious it is, giving her the chance to test bizarre, chaotic comedy – something she might never get to do again in her career, because this style of comedy is so unique. She said that working on the project was a good time, and her favorite days of filming were when she got to interact with the tomato puppets, which was “the coolest thing ever.” She would tell potential viewers, “You have to see this because supporting independent filmmaking is going to be the future of film. A lot of filmmakers have ideas that big studios don’t quite see the vision for and in order to get these visions on the screen, we have to produce them independently. So come see the movie, it’s a good time, it’s a good laugh, and don’t take it too seriously. It’s a good one to take your family to as well. It’s a family film, shockingly!“
Velasco described her FVI agent character as tough and smart, with a chip on her shoulder because tomatoes ruined her childhood. Velasco had watched the original Killer Tomatoes and the cartoon, and grew on up on zany cartoons and comedies like The Naked Gun, so she knew exactly what she was getting into when she signed on for this movie. She said she would recommend the movie because “Everybody needs to laugh. This is a hilarious, nonsensical laugh movie, letting us expel all those weird feelings we’re feeling about the world around us. It’s also a family comedy where you can have your kids watch it as well as your grandparents, because we’re all going to remember either something from the original Tomatoes or have the ability to introduce children into the new Tomato world.” Basically, it’s a gateway into weird cinema for kids, with puppets, animation, wacky comedy gags, and a script that was really fun and funny. “It really is for everybody, and everybody needs a good laugh together.“
Roozen said his Chad Finletter is “never in the past, never in the future, always in the present, like a Golden Retriever.” Other characters may make fun of him for not being the brains of the operation, but he’s actually a deeper character if you really watch him closely. Roozen wasn’t familiar with the franchise before the opportunity to work on this film came up, but he caught up on it and has seen how much nostalgia fans have for the previous films. He said, “There so many movies right now trying to be something, and this movie’s not. I think this movie understands that it’s a good time, it’s a good ride, it doesn’t necessarily want to teach you anything or push anything on you, it’s just a fun, kick-ass ride.” They maintained a fun energy on set throughout production that viewers will be able to feel in the finished film. They’ll also get to see a blend of puppets, CG, animation, and live-action. Roozen said the aesthetics are a step forward for the franchise “in a really cool way,” and that the handmade sets are very cool to see.
Bailey said her character Kate Patel, CEO and founder of VegIntel Organics, is the villain, a boss babe in charge, who has a lot of power. She was drawn to the project because she had actually watched the previous films with her grandma and great-grandma, and she was excited that this is a continuation instead of a remake. She didn’t want to give too much away about the story, but did say that the main plot revolves around VegIntel and their products to help the population. The tomatoes are back and they’re organically intelligent – it’s like AI, but for tomatoes. She said, “It’s a silly, fun-hearted movie, and it will be good for all ages. I watched the originals with my grandparents, so I can see younger kids watching this one, too. It’s a ‘fun for everyone’ kind of thing, because it’s just ridiculous. Killer tomatoes, right?“
Well, they’ve definitely got Conway and myself hyped for this one. Are you looking forward to Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence? What did you think of the promo video? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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