Rob Underhill was thrilled to see the premiere of his newest TV pilot The Agent at Zinda in downtown Raleigh Friday night. The Agent is among many directing credits for Underhill, an award winning filmmaker and N.C. State alumnus.
The screening was a huge success and garnered the praise of several critics.
When Underhill began working on the project a couple years ago, he was in the process of completing his fourth film, titled Box Brown. He and screenwriters Al and Paul Julian met through a Facebook group that was geared towards writers and filmmakers.
“I had always been interested in filmmaking, and took several film courses while I was working on my English degree at State,” Underhill said. “When I met Al, he had been developing the idea for this show for some time. It caught my attention pretty quickly.”
The pilot is part of a developing series entitled Fever Dreams that plays along the lines of the Tales from the Crypt and Creep Show. When asked about what sparked his interest in it, Underhill said the script had a lot to offer.
“A lot of my material tends to be pretty different,” Underhill said. “I’ve done a lot of drama and tend to incorporate various social issues into my films. With this show, the action and thriller components really intrigued me.”
Writer, producer and actor Al Julian discussed the screenwriting process and what inspired him to tell this story.
“I’m an old dog, a retired lawyer and clinical psychologist,” Julian said. “About two years ago, I started getting into acting and screenwriting. I knew that since I was just starting out it’d be more feasible and practical to write teleplays than full length screenplays.”
The show features a hustler in Los Angeles named Don Reynolds (played by Donald Sill), who struggles to write scripts for a local TV show. A homeless man offers a screenplay to Reynolds, who is a burned out alcoholic. Upon reading it, Reynolds discovers the script follows his life everywhere he goes. Similar twists provide a basis for the show’s plot.
“I was always into Hitchcock and Twilight Zone type material,” Julian said. “That sort of suspense and storytelling comes across in this series.”
Julian co-wrote the script with his son Paul, a Junior at UNC-Chapel Hill. He also portrays a character named Saul in the show, and serves as executive producer.
Once they had a script, the team began casting the show.
“It was a pretty exhaustive casting process,” Underhill said. “In some of my other films I was able to work with friends and other people I knew. For this one, we did a mix of video auditions as well as meeting face to face with potential cast members.”
Once the show was casted and the production process began rolling, Underhill contacted various agencies to market his product.
“It’s always an ongoing process, because you’re continually meeting new contacts,” Underhill said.
Friday’s screening was for media and critics only. Despite the monsoon weather that evening, the cast and crew were pleased to see a great turnout from people all over the area.
“I was invited by the Carolina Style Magazine to be the featured filmmaker of their inaugural film series event,” Underhill said. “It was the perfect time to unveil this pilot, and we wanted to keep the doors open for critics.”
The team is now taking the pilot to an assortment of film festivals over the next few months, and Underhill plans to have the second episode premiere in August. Julian has the script for it, and is currently working on the one for episode three.
“I’m late in life, but I finally found a career I enjoy” Julian said.
Underhill couldn’t be more proud of the work he and his crew have accomplished.
“It’s a great experience connecting with other people in the film making community,” Underhill said. “I love what I do.”
The Agent follows a Los Angeles hustler, Don Reynolds, an alcoholic TV screenwriter who accepts a script from a homeless man.
