THE ADVENTURES OF KEITH FLIPPEN: Classic Sci-Fi Meets Modern Humor

A mild-mannered, didgeridoo-playing man is thrust into the biggest adventure in the galaxy, in the new comedy/sci-fi spoof THE ADVENTURES OF KEITH FLIPPEN, DIDGERIDOO PLAYER FROM THE THIRD DIMENSION!, produced by the New Orleans-based filmmaking group ZBBC (Zombie and The Brain Broadcasting Company), written by Rob Cerio and Mario Campesi, and directed by Shannon Kitchens.

The series, debuting this Fall, hopes to film six episodes, plus four more (pending a successful Kickstarter campaign). Jeffrey Robert plays the titular protagonist, with Layson Deyne (G.I. JOE: RETALIATION) as the brave starship commander Col. Lance Victory, plus Jennifer Stockton as the heroine Penelope, Ashley Rose Butler as the villainous Queen Calamitous,  Frank Levy as Professor Gunterschnitz, and Matt Standley (from the upcoming SyFy TV movie RAGIN CAJUN REDNECK GATORS) in a dual role as Calamitous’ henchman Tiny, and as the series’ narrator.

The series began as a short film for the 48 HOUR FILM PROJECT competition, and won multiple awards, including the award for outstanding short film made in New Orleans during the competition. Yet, Kitchens saw greater potential for the show, and its story. “The one thing I really wanted from the initial idea was it to be a middle episode (in this case, episode 14), with no beginning or ending. So when we decided to continue the adventure, I sat down with the writers and we hashed out what happens next,” she says. Despite a limited budget, the ZBBC crew made the most of their meager resources, especially when it came to special effects (the spaceship was modeled from such everyday items as beer bottles, sparklers and plastic Solo cups, Kitchens says). “Every person involved brought a unique element to the story, from someone offering up a didgeridoo because it was lying around, to several members providing costume pieces, to the actors to really bringing the characters from page to screen.”

Unlike many sci-fi series, many of which are more dramatic and serious in tone, THE ADVENTURES OF KEITH FLIPPEN stands out from the rest because of its lighthearted approach to the genre, not to mention the “realistic” special effects. “It’s not set in a dystopian world like The Hunger Games, and it’s not about evil robot uprising. It’s not really socio-political either. It just embraces all the things we secretly love about sci-fi, like space and robots, and presents it in an entertaining way,” Kitchens says. A Kickstarter campaign is underway to secure funding for the series’ production, and while the usual gifts (digital downloads, thank you cards, DVDs) are included, there are also incentives sure to appeal to not only the fans of the show, but of sci-fi in general, including props used in the series, and even a night out on the town with the series’ main villainess, Queen Calamitous!

Inspired by vintage drive-in movies, many of which were seen (and ridiculed) in the popular ‘90s comedy series MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 (another of Kitchen’s many inspirations), both she and the ZBBC crew are set to provide viewers with a new and entertaining kind of comedy, one that will appeal to the most hardened sci-fi fans. “Even though I have a strong science background (I was physics major in college for 2 years before changing to film), I really like how there’s nothing scientific about the show. It’s more about telling a really great story with fun characters and so we don’t care about the science element. Financially, I would really like to see this project become self-sustaining, so we can continue for many many years.”