King Knight is an ensemble comedy that embraces witchcraft, the power of choosing friends as your family, and a personal quest to face your past in order to move forward. The film, written and directed by Richard Bates Jr., is a fun ride reminiscent of a gothic Wes Anderson while simultaneously something all its own. The basic gist is Matthew Gray Gubler, aka Thorn, leads a modern-day coven which often includes doling out romantic advice with his life partner Willow (Angela Sarafyan). When Thorn must face an impending high school reunion, it's revealed to the coven that he’s been holding back a fair amount of secrets about his true identity.
Speaking with Bates Jr. about his hopes for the film as it reaches audiences this summer, it became clear King Knight was a labor of love — and a way to bring a little levity back into our collective lives.
"I finished my last movie and wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do next. I make very dark comedies, and with everything going on politically I knew I couldn’t make something dark. I wanted to make something to make myself happy, and hopefully, something that would make other people happy, too," says Bates Jr.
That's when inspiration struck.
"I’d been pitched a witch movie about an evil witch, but it made me realize I do wanna make a witch movie — but I love witches! That’s when I figured I’d make a movie about all of us searching for the same answers to the same questions. I wanted to treat [witches] as I would any other characters in any other comedy. Hopefully, by the end of it, you fall for them naturally. All my movies take place in a heightened version of reality," he explains. "I really tried to strip the story of any cynicism and think of movies that make me happy. The movie I probably watch the most is Pecker, a John Waters movie from the '90s. I just love it. It’s perverted, edgy and so sweet. I hope this feels the same. I think the characters really do have a sweetness about them."
And apparently, Bates Jr. wasn't the only one who saw something in these characters. He was able to gather an impressive cast of indie comedy greats to become the film's coven.
"The cast is a combo of friends who have been in my other movies and new friends and recommendations. I spent a lot of time on casting," he admits. "When you find the right people they just get it. My direction is blanketed with 'find like-minded weirdos.' I’d also often say, 'I don’t care how ridiculous it is to try to act like you’re not acting in a comedy, try acting like you’re in Sophie’s Choice.' Also working with a lot of the same actors, they just get it. We have shared references and things. It’s so nice to get a chance to work with the same people again."
Bates Jr. was able to assemble his "like-minded weirdos" because, well, in his words: "This isn't my first rodeo. I knew it wasn’t getting financing. I used my own money and took out a little loan so I could make it myself and that allowed me to cast every single part in the movie with an actor I wanted in the part. I even negotiated with the actors' agents this time. I had to learn how to do that."
As for his interest in the subject matter itself, Bates Jr. admits to having "a soft spot for it... I’ve done a lifetime of research on witchcraft. I grew up in the south, so the very notion of witchcraft there is that it is evil. As soon as I moved to New York I bought my Witch’s Bible. I always found it to be the most welcoming and non-judgmental religion. I’d maybe go so far as to say I dabble in witchcraft.”
In that vein of non-judgment, Bates Jr. believes in the importance of a personal self-reflection quest, much like the one Thorn journeys through in the film, and filmmaking can be the perfect way to do that.
"I think it’s like every one of my movies is kind of like documenting where I am at in my life at that time. They are all a bunch of little chronicles of my existence and what I'm going through at the time," he explains. "It was this sort of coming to terms with exactly who I am, and who I am going to be… Whether it’s how to be the best husband to my wife, or who I am as a father. This notion that for true self-growth you need self-acceptance, and that was the jumping-off point."
And he used a lot of goth Wes Anderson influences to achieve that in the film.
"Oh yeah, [there are] a lot of Rushmore references. And just like most filmmakers, there are a billion references to every movie you’ve ever seen: Terry Gilliam, David Wain, Miranda July. But when I was in middle school and saw Rushmore, it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen."
And like the films that he admires, Bates Jr. realizes just how nuanced a character needs to be — performance and dialogue-wise —to attract the talent that he wants to bring his vision to life.
"I always think after I’ve written it, if I was an actor reading this role, would it be fun to say those words? I do write with an actor in mind. All my movies are super performance heavy so I really wanna attract the cast I want with a lot of fun dialogue. I also go through [it] with every actor and make the appropriate adjustments once they have been cast so it sounds right in their cadence. It’s a really collaborative process. I am always open to changes to lines that are important to them."
His advice to writers who are writing about a very specific cultural subset of society?
"I think you can push it if you genuinely love your subject matter. You are free to push things further and not play it so safe if there is real love going into it. I think that’s what we did here, and that makes for a hopefully entertaining movie. I mean, I really just wanted this film to feel like a party at an arts school where everyone is welcome.
King Knight just debuted at the Fantasia Film Festival with more screening info to come soon.