Nee Brothers Don’t Rob Fans in Their Modern Twain Adaptation ‘Band of Robbers’
Adapting a classic story into a modern film is a formidable task, but brothers Adam and Aaron Nee took the risk with tasteful finesse in their latest film “Band of Robbers,” a comedy some critics have called fan-fiction of Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
The picture stars Adam as Sawyer, Kyle Gallner (Huckleberry Finn), Matthew Gray Gubler (Joe Harper), Hannibal Buress (Ben Rogers) and Melissa Benoist (Becky Thatcher).
Growing up, the brothers were exposed to the adventures of Tom and Huck through their father, who read the stories to them aloud in their Central Florida home.
“Mark Twain has been a big part of our lives since we were kids,” Adam said during an interview with Neon Tommy. “When I was six and Aaron was nine, my father would read these books to us and so all of our siblings would sit around on the carpet while my father read these stories. It made a very lasting impression.”
But the idea of an adult Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn was born when Adam moved to New York to pursue acting at the age of 21. He walked into an audition for the role of Huck, but the movie was a verbatim adaption, putting Huck’s character at 13-years-old.
“It was an embarrassing experience,” he said. “The director was looking at me like ‘how did this kid get in here?’”
Adam walked out of the audition laughing but also inspired, thinking about would it would be like if Tom and Huck were up to all their old shenanigans as adults. Although they thought a lot about their adaptation in the coming years, they began to work actively work on the picture four years ago.
During production, both Adam and Aaron assumed their film would resonate more with men aged between 16 and 25, but realized it held a broader appeal while attending various festivals. One 63-year-old women from Wichita, Kansas, told them it was her favorite movie.
Mark Twain lovers will catch all of the references, but the film will also attract those who are just looking for, as Adam said, “a quirky action comedy.”
“I think what also helps to broaden the appeal is that in the center of this action comedy is a friendship story — it’s an old story that I think people really connect to,” said Aaron.
With such a deep connection to the stories, the brothers faced a considerable challenge when it came to narrowing down which aspects they would actually use. Once they established the crux of the story, which was Tom and Huck’s evolving relationship, the focus became clearer.
For Adam, both acting and directing proved taxing. As a director, he had a bird’s eye view of all the challenges that come with creating a film, but as an actor he needed to tune all of that out and focus on his character. Originally, the filmmakers were going to cast a different actor to play Tom. When they could not find the right fit, both Aaron and Gubler urged Adam to take on the role. His casting was finalized after auditioning for producers.
Since the brothers and the rest of the cast got along so well, filming was a fun experience for them.
“When you’re working with people you know really well and you have the exact same sense of humor, it’s just a non-stop party,” said Gubler. “It was so much fun — every moment of it was the best. There is a robbery [scene] which is really fun — getting to storm into a pawn shop with a plastic gun and tiny shorts is a thrill that I hope you all experience at least twice.”
When asked which of the brothers would take on a bank heist, Gubler chose Aaron with no trace of hesitation.
“I think Adam would do exactly what Tom Sawyer did in this movie, which is create a very intricate plan that could only fail,” he said. “Aaron has actually robbed a few banks before, too, so he’s really good at it.”
Gubler, who also portrays Spencer Reid on CBS’s “Criminal Minds,” would film the crime show for 11 hours a day before putting on his red headband to play Harper for seven to eight hours. Although he lost some sleep, Gubler enjoyed every moment of his involvement in “Band of Robbers.” Having collaborated with Adam and Aaron before, the movie first came to his attention four years ago.
“To me they’re two of the funniest and most talented directors out there,” he said. “It just felt like an absolute dream come true to get to not only act it in it, but also help produce something that really speaks to me as a person who’s never grown up, as a lover of Twain, as a lover of adventure… we just share the same sensibilities.”
“Band of Robbers” opens in theaters and on demand Jan. 15. Watch the trailer below.
