When The Big Bang Theory co-creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady announced that the comedy series' newest spinoff, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, was going to be a universe-hopping sci-fi comedy, it came as a surprise to many. To accomplish this genre pivot, they enlisted The Avengers story co-writer Zak Penn for a tale that puts familiar actors in a barrage of unfamiliar situations. Now, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is streaming on HBO Max.
The Direct sat down with series creators Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn, costume designer Valerie Klarich, composer Danny Elfman, and recurring series mainstay Wil Wheaton to discuss the spinoff's surprising multiversal genre pivot and what it took to make it work.
The Idea for Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Sat on the Shelf for a Decade
The Sci-fi Spin-off Took a While To Catch On.
The Direct: "Can we talk about the origins of this series, and the decision to make something so unique compared to The Big Bang Theory?"
Chuck Lorre: It started about ten years ago when Big Bang was coming to an end, and I had this silly idea about the comic book store having a portal to another universe, and Kevin Sussman, Stuart Bloom, going on these adventures through the multiverse. And nobody really cared about that idea. So it sat for ten years, and here we are.
Zak Penn: My involvement was that Chuck Lorre approached me and said, ‘I want to do a spin-off of The Big Bang Theory’ that's nothing like that, in a completely different genre.’ And he specifically wanted to tap into what I'm used to doing, which is sci-fi, comic book movies, stuff like that. So I got recruited to be a part of this, but originally Chuck came up with this idea while they were making Big Bang Theory.
Wil Wheaton Didn't Expect To Recur on The Big Bang Theory
He Never Anticipated Becoming a 'Big Bang' Universe Mainstay.
The Direct: "When you first signed on to The Big Bang Theory, did you ever think you'd be able to do something like this?"
Wil Wheaton: Here's the thing about getting hired to do anything in the entertainment industry: it's a miracle that you get hired in the first place, because there are so many people that they could cast. I'm really lucky that I'm the only person who can can who can realistically play Will Wheaton, and it gave me a bit of a leg up on the competition.
I figured I'd get to do one episode, I'd be so grateful for it. I was going to have such a good time. I wasn't going to take a moment of it for granted. And by like the third day of rehearsing that episode, someone from the studio came over and said, 'just know that we're definitely bringing you back. We love what you're doing. The cast loves you.'
I was like, 'that's great, that's never going to happen,' and then they brought me back and again and again and again. And they kept bringing me back for ten years for like close to 20 episodes or something. What a blessing. What a gift! I don't know, but the best thing that has come out of all of it is that I have made two of the greatest, closest friends I've ever made in my life, in Bill Prady and John Bowie.
And it's so hard to make friends when you're an adult, and that's a real gift that Big Bang Theory gave me, in addition to all the cool stuff with my career and getting to be part of a wonderful show, I got lifelong friends out of the deal.
A Set Visit Inspired Danny Elfman's Theme
He instantly knew what he wanted to compose.
The Direct: I loved your theme song for this. Can you tell me what your process was in creating that interesting soundscape?
Danny Elfman: You know, it wasn't a complicated process. I met Chuck. We clicked, and he brought me onto the set when they were shooting. And the writers, the actors, I just got the vibe right and literally said, 'excuse me, I've got to run off and I have an idea in my head.' And that became the theme. It was one of those lucky things. I just dug their energy, and I said, 'this has got to be rough, and irreverent, and science-fiction and rock-and-roll all mixed into one.'
The Direct's interviews for Stuart Fails to Save the Universe are available below:
