MacGruber (2010)

Interesting facts

• Based on: MacGruber
• Filmed in: New Mexico

MacGruber is a 2010 American action comedy film based on the Saturday Night Live sketch of the same name, which itself was a parody of action-adventure television series MacGyver. Directed by Jorma Taccone and written by Taccone, Will Forte, and John Solomon, it stars Forte in the title role; Kristen Wiig as Vicki St. Elmo, MacGruber's work partner and love interest; Ryan Phillippe as Dixon Piper, a young lieutenant who becomes part of MacGruber's team; Maya Rudolph as Casey, MacGruber's deceased wife; and Val Kilmer as Dieter von Cunth, the villain.

Production

MacGruber is based on a recurring sketch on Saturday Night Live, a parody of the television series MacGyver. It was created by writer Jorma Taccone, who pitched the idea to cast member/writer Will Forte over a period of several weeks. Forte was initially reluctant to commit to the sketch, deeming it too dumb, but accepted after persuasion from Taccone.

Following the success of the advertisements, creator Lorne Michaels approached Forte, Taccone, and writer John Solomon with the idea to produce a MacGruber film, and they were at first skeptical. They began pitching ideas for a potential feature-length adaptation, deciding first and foremost it would not be the sketch repeated for its entire runtime. The film's central conceit was to produce a real action film, with MacGruber as comic relief.

The film was written while simultaneously producing a weekly episode of SNL, and the show's production process left the trio fully deprived of sleep. This led to sequences deemed "crazier," such as a scene involving celery. There was concern the film might receive an NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, which could lead to certain commercial disappointment.

On the June 1, 2009, episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Forte announced that MacGruber had been greenlit and production was to begin on August 9, with Jimmy Fallon adding on the July 29 episode that it would be filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Cameos by WWE wrestlers Chris Jericho, The Big Show, Mark Henry, Kane, MVP and The Great Khali and actor Derek Mears, were later confirmed.

Following a short six-week period of preparation, the film was shot between August 10 and September 13, 2009, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The film shoot employed a crew composed of local workers as a part of a tax credit. The quick film schedule of 28 days led to the filmmakers adjusting scenes to complete them on time, as the presence of automatic weapons on set would slow down the process.

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