https://youtube.com/watch?v=TbmM9Rugu4g%3Fsi%3DvIVr0jalXQMP2XIr

The struggle to not only survive, but also protect what matters most to them – their home and family – is a powerful motivator for many people to overcome the terror they’re facing in any catastrophe. That’s certainly the case for the Laughlin family, who serve as the fierce protagonists in the new thriller, ‘On Fire.’

The film focuses on the working-class family’s determination to endure the chaos of a forest fire that’s surrounding their modest home. The survival drama’s co-writer-co-director, Nick Lyon, was motivated to make the feature because he felt it was essential to shed light on the devastating impact of wildfires around the world. He wanted to depict a relatable, all-American family as they face the imminent loss of their entire livelihood due to the fire, but are still determined to survive.

The filmmaker first came up with the idea for the feature while he was sitting at a campfire with his sons. The movie’s story evolved over time, as he incorporated fictionalized elements from true stories of actual fire victims and the ever-growing threat of forest fires into the plot. Through compelling storytelling, ‘On Fire’ raises awareness about the escalating threat of forest fires and reminds viewers that as humans who live in nature, they must respect its power.

Lyon co-penned the script with Ron Peer, and co-helmed and produced the project with lead actor Peter Facinelli. In addition to the latter, the thriller also stars Fiona Dourif, Asher Angel, Lance Henriksen, Glenn Morshower and Ross McCall. After being distributed in theaters on September 29, ‘On Fire’ is being released On Demand and On Digital today, November 14.

‘On Fire’ tells the story of an ordinary man. Dave Laughlin (Facinelli), who suddenly finds his world torn apart as devastating wildfires rip through the countryside surrounding his family’s home. With precious moments ticking by, he must find a way to flee with his teen son, Clay (Angel), pregnant wife, Sarah (Fiona Dourif), and elderly father, George (Henriksen), if they have any hope of surviving the rapid forces of mother nature.

Lyon generously took the time to talk about scribing, directing and producing ‘On Fire’ during an exclusive interview over Zoom. Among other things, the filmmaker discussed how going on the camping trip with his sons inspired him to think about how they would survive a devastating forest fire, which in part encouraged him to pen the feature’s screenplay; and how he appreciates Facinelli helping him helm and produce the film after he developed COVID during the project’s shoot.

Film Factual (FF): Along with Ron Peer, you co-wrote the script for the new survival thriller, ‘On Fire.’ What inspired you to pen the screenplay for the film?

Nick Lyon (NL): Originally, I had written a little treatment for it. I had wanted to do a film about a family, or a father and son, who were caught in a forest fire. After I went camping with my sons, I thought, if a fire were to happen, how would we get out of here? There was only one road in, so would we have to climb over the hills? Where would we go? So that was the spark of everything, as far as the idea to do it.

I’ve also done a lot of disaster action movies, so I know how to work with the facts. So I thought, how can I pull off a film in a forest fire? So I wrote the treatment and story. I then let it sit there for a couple of years because I thought, this is going to be too big of a budget.

Then around 2021, I had the opportunity to pitch a movie because something else had fallen through. So I pitched it to investors and they loved it.

Then I said, “Well, it has a boy and a dog. So I need to do it with adults so it’s more doable and also more real.” I’ve known about seven people who have lost their homes in fires or have fought off fires that threatened their homes.

I had also been looking at a lot of the forest fires worldwide and dialed into that. I started doing a lot of research and adapted a new treatment that’s based on true events. The events in the film are very similar to the ones that happened in real life.

Mainly I wanted the characters to be a normal family. If they lose everything, they’ve lost everything. Not everyone has insurance or has a lot, and what they do have, they’ve worked very hard for.

So I wrote the treatment and the investors loved it. They said, “We need to shoot this before it stars snowing and raining, so we need to hurry.”

So I called Ron Peer, who I’ve worked with for years. I said “Ron, I’m in the middle of pre-production, and I’m also in the middle of another movie. I need a script in two weeks, based on this treatment. Can you do it?” He said, “Um, yeah.”

He then delivered a first draft. We kept collaborating back and forth. I re-wrote the first draft, and re-wrote that. That’s how the development of the whole film really started.

FF: Besides penning the screenplay, you also co-directed the drama with Peter Facinelli. How did you approach helming the movie?

NL: One of the big obstacles for me was figuring out a way to do a film where a family is surrounded by a forest fire without burning down a whole forest and without a lot of money.

I did tests beforehand, so I knew that with smoke, wind and lighting, it can look like a fire. I was like, I’m also going to add some real fire to it. I can also enhance it afterward, as I work a lot with visual effects, as well. By combining all of these elements, I was able to create the fire, which made it a lot safer to work on.

The one thing on set that became a real draw back was the forest where we were filming. We’d light up a couple of flame throwers for tests. They said, “Oh, this is getting really hot, so the ground is smoldering.”

The ground wasn’t soil; instead, it comprised of hundreds of years of pine cones and pine needles that had fallen and turned into dirt. So the dirt was basically wood.

So we couldn’t really use the flame throwers very much. So we also used gel, which doesn’t create heat.

The schedule was fast, like with any film. But at least it was safe.

FF: ‘On Fire’ stars Peter, Fiona Dourif, Asher Angel and Lance Henriksen. What was the casting process like for the thriller?

NL: Well, we had a deadline. It was going into production fast, so I brought on a casting director who I had worked with before, Paul Weber. He and his partner, Tineka Becker, basically started making offers, so we could get the film out there.

I wanted someone who was relatable for the whole family. So Paul brought me suggestions. I would do meeting with them. I didn’t really do any reads; instead, I did more meetings, during which I would talk to the actors about the roles, since most of them have a resume.

With Asher Angel, Paul called and said, “You have to take him. He’s the kid from ‘Shazam!’ I said, “Oh yeah, he’s great.”

The same was true for Fiona Dourif. I find her to be very real and relatable. I didn’t want someone who’s too glamorous or anything. Not to say that she’s not, but she doesn’t care if she gets dirty, and I like that about her.

According to her, she doesn’t even watch her own films, which is a good sign. She just lets herself go.

I cast Peter Facinelli based on our first meeting. He seemed like the right guy because he had the enthusiasm.

He was then brought in as a producer, as well. It was great to have him on set in that respect, too. During the film, I ended up getting COVID. Peter’s directed a couple of films, so he was able to fill in for me on the days I couldn’t be there on set.

We collaborated really well together the whole time because you have to be in sync. The producer, actor and director relationship was important because we wanted the same film to come out of it, which was great.

Then with Lance Henriksen, I’ve always loved him, so I was so thrilled to get him. I suggested him, and there were a few other actors who were also considered, but he said yes. He played the character of George exactly the way it needed to be, and really gave it his all. He really let himself go into the character.

He’s an amazing actor and really nice. But I was really intimidated at first because he’s always playing the tough guy. But he’s 100 percent the opposite of that in real life. (Lyon laughs.)

FF: The film follows Peter’s character, Dave, and his family as they realize that devastating wildfires are ripping through the countryside surrounding their home. With precious moments ticking by, they must flee to have any hope of surviving the rapid forces of mother nature. What was your collaboration with the drama’s stunt coordinator, Chris A. Wilks, to create the characters’ action sequences and stunts?

NL: Well, we worked somewhat with Chris, but there really weren’t that many stunts for the actors to do; it was more a lot of running, fleeing and looking around.

It was also more about the actors having to imagine visual effects. It was like, “Okay, you’re being chased by a big fire,” so they had to imagine that. It helped to have the light and smoke to add the atmosphere.

Then it was all about planning the shots. We had a car drive into a tree in the story, so we had that rigged up on set with a professional stunt crew. They made sure everything was executed well and safely.

FF: Like you mentioned earlier, you also worked with Peter as a producer on ‘On Fire.’ Why did you decide to also produce the movie? How did you balance your directorial and producing duties on the movie?

NL: Us producing the film definitely helped, as we were trying to make a good film. Since Peter filled in for me on the days I was sick, we kept working together as we started on post-production.

Since I don’t like to take someone else’s work and call it my own, I felt it was right to give him a co-directing credit. That’s not who I am; I feel that if you do your share, you should get the credit for it.

Also, being a producer involved doing all of these things; you have to be creatively collaborative with the team. As a writer and director, I’m collaborative because on films, that’s what it’s all about.

FF: How did you decide where you would shoot ‘On Fire?’

NL: Like I mentioned earlier, we were at risk for entering winter. So with the location, I looked at Oregon, Idaho and even California. I looked at the weather maps and thought, we’re right up against Thanksgiving, so what’s the weather like? I was like, it’s going to be snowing and there’s going to be snow all over the ground. So I can’t do a forest fire film if there’s a risk that there’s going to be snow all over the ground.

So I had to rule out all of those locations because of timing. So I looked for a place that would be warmer. Funny enough, I stumbled upon a pine forest outside of Austin – Bastrop State Park – so we shot there. It’s a film hub, as there’s a film industry in Austin, so that’s why we decided to shoot there.