For those who worked with beloved actor Bob Saget on ‘Daniel’s Gotta Die’, filmed in Cayman in early 2021, the news of his unexpected death a year later, on 9 Jan. 2022, was particularly shocking.
Badir Awe, a local filmmaker who worked on the set – and subsequently other shoots for the same production companies – was one of many who remembered Saget’s charismatic personality.
“I liked Bob because of how blunt and direct he was, about personal things, mundane things… everything,” Awe said.
‘Daniel’s Gotta Die’ was the last movie Saget worked on, and therefore it is getting a lot of buzz in the international media as it will be premiering at the Austin Film Festival, being held from 27 Oct. to 3 Nov. The screening is scheduled for Friday, 28 Oct.
The film is a comedy, starring Saget, Joel David Moore, Mary Lynn Rajskub and Iggy Pop. Moore plays Daniel, a man whose plan to reconnect with his family hits a snag when he discovers they all want to kill him for his inheritance.
In an AFF press release, director Jeremy LaLonde expressed his sadness that Saget would not see the finished product.
“Bob’s passing came as a shock to the entire ‘Daniel’s Gotta Die’ team,” said LaLonde. “It’s with great sadness that he never got to see it finished. I can’t wait to see how audiences react to his final performance at Austin Film Festival with his final gift to all that loved him.”
In the same release, writer Matthew Dressel said, “Bob truly loved the script and took on a very fatherly role right from the start; eager to help out in any way he could. … He helped us craft a beautiful and heart-warming send-off and I think people will really appreciate it.”
Also premiering at the AFF will be ‘The Baker’, the project filmed in Cayman after ‘Daniel’s Gotta Die’ by the same production companies: Productivity Media and Darius Films. ‘The Baker’ stars Ron Perlman, Harvey Keitel, Joel David Moore, Emma Ho, and local actor Ronnie James Hughes. It will be screening at the festival on Monday, 31 Oct.
No doubt local audiences will be looking forward to seeing all the films that were shot in the Cayman Islands in the near future, as a reminder of the exciting time last year when Hollywood seemed to have moved to these shores.
Awe worked on many of the productions here, and he cherishes the memories. Only one of them is tinged with sadness.
“I remember [Bob] telling me about his immediate plans for the future and so I find it difficult to believe he’s no longer here. I guess that was a special moment in time.”
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