"You're It!"

Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Ed Helms, Isla Fisher, Leslie Bibb
Director: Jeff Tomsic
Genre: Comedy
Rated: M
Running Time: 100 minutes

Synopsis: For one month every year, five highly competitive friends hit the ground running in a noholds-barred game of tag they've been playing since the first grade. To hold onto their youth and their friendship, they risk their necks, their jobs and their relationships to take each other down with the battle cry: 'You're it!"

This year, the game coincides with the wedding of their only undefeated player, which should finally make him an easy target. But he knows they're coming…and he's ready.

Based on a true story, the New Line Cinema comedy 'Tag" shows how far some guys will go to be the last man standing.

Tag
Release Date: June 14th, 2018

 

About The Production

Hoagie

Someone once said we don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.

What if you never had to give up the games that you played as a kid? The kind that kept you and your friends outside, way past sunset. What if, as a grown up, you could keep the games going with your friends, forever?

In 'Tag," five guys"despite age, geography, and adult circumstances like jobs, illness, marriage and children"manage to keep playing. For the entire month of May every year, no matter what is on their plate, they revert to the antics that consumed them in grade school, when they first started chasing each other on the playground. Against all odds, they keep in touch. Letting themselves have fun and be childlike together, even if only once a year, actually makes them better friends and more responsible adults.

'It was an opportunity to make something comical that was also a love letter to the kids I grew up with," says Jeff Tomsic, who makes his feature directorial debut with 'Tag." 'This story, though totally absurd, has so much heart. Everything these characters put themselves through, all the action, the chasing and elaborate stunts, it's all for each other."

Over the years the game has grown exponentially. No longer little boys on bikes, now Hoagie, Chilli, Sable, Callahan and Jerry chase each other across state lines. Only one has escaped being 'it" for decades: Jerry. And the others are determined to end his reign"even if it means upending his wedding.

The lengths the guys are willing to go to for their annual game are extreme. Nothing is sacred. Not delivery rooms, not funerals and, this year, certainly not nuptials. Wedding or no wedding, it's definitely game on.

The real lifelong friends from Spokane, Washington, who inspired the film"nicknamed the Tag Brothers"are still engaged in an epic 30-year-old game of tag. The on-screen competitors playing them are comprised of a stellar ensemble, who form the perfect comedy tag team: Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, Hannibal Buress, Jon Hamm and Jeremy Renner.

Ed Helms stars as Hogan 'Hoagie" Malloy, who brings the gang together for their buddy's wedding weekend. When he read the script, he was hooked. 'I felt like, oh man, I wish I had a tag game like this with friends, a juvenile release I could dive into from time to time and escape adulthood and responsibility," Ed Helms recalls. 'Running around as a grown man trying to tag people sounded insanely funny to me, and the fact that it's based on a real group of guys made it even funnier."

'I thought it was awesome that there are guys who really do this," agrees Jeremy Renner, starring as Jerry Pierce, the undefeated player set to walk down the aisle. 'The script was hysterical, but it also attracted me because it was about friendship lasting in perpetuity. I've moved around a lot, so I think having continuity from your past is really important. I'm a big believer in holding on to things that matter; if you value something, it sometimes takes great effort to keep it."

Jon Hamm stars as Bob Callahan, another member of the tag brothers. The actor was equally enthusiastic to play along. 'Combine a very humorous idea with a well-written script, and I'm in.

It was these absurd, ridiculously entertaining situations where high jinx ensues. Because this is unique to these guys, it makes their friendship unique, and those connections also really ground it. The opportunity to work with a great cast was a bonus and made it even more enjoyable; you have all of this interesting comedic energy."

The characters established a 'no girls allowed" rule when they were kids, but the game is infectious and all-consuming. Isla Fisher plays Hoagie's overzealous wife, Anna Malloy: 'It was wonderful being part of such a spirited ensemble, in a different kind of action movie with a whole lot of humor," she enthuses. 'But it isn't just about tag; the game is a metaphor for celebrating friendships and keeping the little things that we enjoy from our childhood alive."

Nobody is safe"Annabelle Wallis plays Rebecca, a Wall Street Journal reporter fascinated by their story, now stuck chasing them from city to city. Rashida Jones plays Cheryl, an old flame trying to reconnect with her friends when they're not sprinting after each other. Leslie Bibb plays Susan, Jerry's fiance, desperately trying to protect their wedding day.

From disguises and diversions to catapulting, parkouring and booby trapping, the competing friends create chaos in their quest to be the best.

Producer Todd Garner reveals that it was an article in The Wall Street Journal chronicling the ingenious exploits of the Tag Brothers that caught his eye and inspired him to make the film. 'I thought it was remarkable that these guys had been doing this for 30 years. I wanted to be part of telling that story, and what it means to be lifelong friends with people who know you better than anybody. We also wanted the film to delight in the fact that it's grown men, and to push all those boundaries."

Garner was already a fan of Jeff Tomsic's television work in the comedy arena when he reached out to him to direct 'Tag." 'Jeff Tomsic has a marvelous sense of humor and I thought his instincts were perfect to really bring this film to life." He was unaware, however, how perfect his timing was. As it turns out, Jeff Tomsic also shares a yearly ritual with a core group of guys he's known his whole life and was really missing his friends. 'I was on vacation in the middle of nowhere in Canada"where we always go"and it was the first year none of the other guys could make it. Life happens. We've all gotten older, moved to different cities, people's family members had gotten sick, everyone's had kids," Jeff Tomsic allows. 'The script made me laugh, but then it really punched me in the gut. I got pretty emotional thinking about all my friends… and then this circle of friends who have been able to stay together in such a creative way."

In preparation to helm 'Tag," Jeff Tomsic created a look book of imagery and even cut a trailer to showcase his vision for the film.
'Jeff Tomsic really got the material," says producer Mark Steilen, who also created the screen story and co-wrote the screenplay from an up-close-and-personal viewpoint. 'That was important to me because it was part of the history of my home town," he reveals. 'I went to the same school as the Tag Brothers; they were in a different class, but I knew those guys. And I also knew they had a great story."

Rob McKittrick, who co-wrote the screenplay, remarks, 'Finding the balance between impropriety and sincerity is what I'm most proud of. Coming up with clever, different and increasingly more outrageous tags was also one of the biggest challenges. Jeff Tomsic is really good at visualising the action and was so collaborative in shaping and intensifying the many tag sequences. He knew exactly what he wanted: irreverence with heart."

'Mark Steilen is all heart and Rob McKittrick has a cutting sense of humor," laughs Jeff Tomsic. 'I think that combination gave the script a certain nuance, and I credit them for making it feel like real life in way that we can all relate to."

The real Tag Brothers, who actually number 10 in all, couldn't agree more.

'Whenever we get asked about the game, we always start talking about friendship. The movie does a great job of telling the story about those deep connections," says Mike Konesky.

'Friendships aren't all about laughs; life gets complex and no matter what it has thrown at us, we've been there for each other. And the game has always been there, too."

Joe 'Joey T" Tombari adds, 'The actual tag is only about thirty seconds in our lives, but the rest of it is what's really important"being together. We were lucky to have Jeff Tomsic as a director. He really got the friendship aspect."

Bill Akers grins, 'The tags were pretty great, too."

Jeff Tomsic reflects, 'I just turned 40, and I'm feeling nostalgic about my childhood, so it was great fun to go to work each day and watch these men and women running around like they're still nine years old."

Tag Team

Even though Hoagie, Callahan, Sable, Chilli and Jerry live in different cities and life events have changed them from their school days together in Spokane, Washington, one thing never changes: the strong bond of friendship and the sense that it matters enough to hold onto, no matter what. Even if it means humiliating yourself or your friends once a year. That sacred truth keeps these pals trying to one-up each other every single May because of the other sacred truth: being 'it" sucks. If you're the unfortunate idiot to get tagged at 11:59:59 on May 31st, you will be the butt of everyone's jokes for the next 334 days.

This year Jerry is getting married in Spokane on the very last day in May, and there are only 63 hours left on the clock for the guys to tag him. And what could be more humiliating than getting tagged at your own wedding? With his fiancée determined to have a May wedding, Jerry doesn't even send his friends an invitation"he knows they're coming. And the guys believe this is their last great chance to tag him. They can't let Jerry retire without ever being 'it," and lord that over them the rest of their lives. Hoagie, the leader of the group, isn't going to take that lying down.

Hoagie is a veterinarian with a successful practice and a heart of gold. Ed Helms describes Hoagie as 'an unassuming, sweet, positive guy. He's super passionate about the game, but I think what Hoagie loves most about it is just hanging out with his friends."

Todd Garner recalls receiving a phone call from Ed Helms when the script first went out. 'Ed was the first person to reach out. He zoned in on Hoagie and knew that character. He felt completely right for the part, and he absolutely was."

Jeff Tomsic feels the same way. 'I was so thrilled for Ed Helms to be part of this because his character is the heart and soul of the game, and Ed Helms was the heart and soul of the movie from the beginning. He was very supportive of me as a director making my first feature and was just so nurturing and involved creatively from the get-go."

Hoagie's earnest dedication to the competition knows no bounds, and this year is no different. Despite no invitation, Hoagie decides to gather his friends and enlist them to show up for Jerry's wedding festivities with one elaborate, collaborative tag to nail the groom. After all, Jerry will be a sitting duck.
Hoagie's first stop is to literally trap his friend Bob Callahan at his Freedom Atlantic Insurance office in New York City. Bob Callahan is a handsome executive at the top of the heap. 'He is an alpha male with a big ego"which makes it particularly stinging that he is unable to beat Jerry," says Rob McKittrick.

Jon Hamm offers, 'I think he was always destined to be that guy"successful professionally, but in his personal life…not so much."

'Jon Hamm brought this suave gravitas to Callahan," Jeff Tomsic notes. 'He's the most outwardly puttogether one in the group, but his downfall is his vanity. That's his weakness, and it could cost him in the game."

Once he succumbs to being 'it," Ed Hamm says, 'Bob Callahan's motivated to join the adventure. He's dedicated to the guys, so he's in with both feet."

And he's off and running, because now it's Bob Callahan's turn, with Hoagie's assistance, to ensnare Chilli, who resides in Denver, Colorado.

Cast in the role of Randy 'Chilli" Cilliano, Jake Johnson says, 'Chilli lost his business and is also going through a divorce, and I think the month of May and the game are an escape for him.

He loves the guys and is glad they are all together again." And it's no coincidence that Chilli chose Colorado in which to reside"it was, after all, the first state to legalise his favorite herb.

'We really needed someone that could come in and be the skeptic who loved the game and was good at it but pretended to hate it all the time," says Jeff Tomsic, who knows Jake Johnson from working with him in television. 'I thought Jake Johnson's version of Chilli was fantastic. He is the mess of the group, the most charming negative person you can imagine. Chilli is the guy who just has nothing to lose."

Now that Jake is 'it," he and his buddies gang up on Kevin Sable, who lives in Portland, Oregon, Jeff Tomsic knew Hannibal Buress from 'Broad City" and was eager to add the comedian to the mix. 'Hannibal has this very different perspective on comedy and the world," observes the director.

That is just what he wanted for Sable, who is always stuck in his own head. Jeff Tomsic explains, 'Sable is the real cypher, this weirdly intelligent guy who cuts to the core of everything, but he overthinks every detail to the point of being totally ineffective."

'Sable's a very nervous guy. He's also very smart but trips over his own logic," says Hannibal Buress, who stars in the role. 'The script was full of wild stuff. The game, heightened to such extremes, played out like a Jason Bourne fantasy. It sounded like a blast." With the other four back together, now it's just a matter of getting to the church"and Jerry"on time.

As they return to their home town of Spokane and their basement hangout in Hoagie's childhood home"also known as their old War Room"the guys are confident the element of surprise is on their side. But Jerry is, and always has been, five steps ahead of them, at least.

Mark Steilen reveals he named Jerry after his oldest friend. 'My best friend, to this day, is a guy my mom sat me next to in diapers in the front yard. My Jerry and I made a point of staying friends all these years, and I recognized that's what these guys were doing."

Jeremy Renner describes Jerry, who owns a fitness gym, as 'an overachiever, probably too competitive in everything that he does. He's very physical and athletic"a type A personality"but also has a wonderful jovial air to him. And even though he totally dominates the other guys, there's no malice; he has a great sense of fun and enjoys the game."

There may be no malice, but there is an intensity that is a little scary. 'He's super happy, and then suddenly it's a totally serious game face," he continues. 'That polar aspect is what attracted me most to the character and it's been great to explore that…it also makes him the most dangerous tag player around."

The filmmakers needed someone with action chops to pull off the character's almost mythic nature. 'We're lucky Jeremy Renner came on board. He's an amazing actor and was so great taking the action to funny extremes. We called him the Precision Instrument," says Jeff Tomsic.

'I actually believe if you tried to catch Jeremy Renner in real life, you couldn't tag him," Garner smiles. 'He was tremendous as Jerry."

'Jerry is the invincible, untouchable opponent. He's lightning fast, he's smarter than them, he's cooler than them, and he seems to have powers beyond human capability in the game," says Jeff Tomsic. 'But he's also really sort of lonely and misses these guys he's been working so hard to run away from all these years, and Jeremy Renner was able to convey all of that at once."

The harder Hoagie has tried to keep the game going and the guys together, the more Jerry has sprinted in the opposite direction. Always trying to win, both have lost sight of the point of the game: it isn't about winning, it's about playing.

Jeff Tomsic marvels at how his tag team immediately gelled. 'I'm indebted to them as a group for what they brought to the movie and how they performed and worked together. They really brought all the parts of a great motley crew to life. They didn't all know each other when we started, so to see them on day one functioning as this longtime group of friends that has so much chemistry was mind blowing to me."

Although the rules of the game don't technically allow girls to play, the strong female presence in the film is also undeniable. Jeff Tomsic says, 'It was really important for me to portray women as integral parts of both the story and the game. And we were so fortunate to have such talented women join the guys to up the ante."

We first meet Rebecca, a Wall Street Journal reporter, as she's conducting a business interview with Callahan. After the reporter's interview is hijacked by Hoagie, she wants this crazy game explained to her, to know what's going on, and why. 'Rebecca is very much the eyes of the audience," says Annabelle Wallis, who was excited to join the troupe. 'I've always been a fan of everyone on this project. You know, it was a real dream come true to be able to play with them."

The feeling was mutual for the director. 'I love Annabelle Wallis, she's one of my favorite people," says Jeff Tomsic. 'To have this dramatic British woman from -Peaky Blinders' come in to a comedy filled with fools like us was a delight. She was wonderful."

'Rebecca does straightforward financials and business journalism, but I think the interview gone awry ignites a sense of adventure and wanderlust," says Annabelle Wallis. 'She thinks she's onto something, that this might be a story that could change the game for her." To get the answers to her questions, Rebecca follows Callahan and Hoagie to document the wedding shenanigans and, before long, the reporter is inadvertently drawn into the plot to get Jerry.

For the guys to execute that mission, it helps to have a not-so-secret weapon: Hoagie's wife, Anna. It is well known among the guys that Anna is probably more competitive than Hoagie and Jerry combined, because her intensity is legendary.

Describing her character, Isla Fisher says, 'Anna's a zealot who takes the game way too seriously and she really wants her husband not to be -it.' Anna cares about it as much, if not more than, Hoagie, and most of the time she's just scheming ways to win." Since she can't officially tag any of the guys, Anna gets her tag on any which way she can"acting as an occasional decoy, verbally accosting whoever gets in the way, or doing whatever else it takes.

'After May ends every year, Anna's probably in intense therapy," Jeff Tomsic laughs. 'It was fun to have a character that has no filter and no interest in self-control."

Garner adds, 'Isla took the basic idea and just ran with it. She is so funny and brilliant and just kills it."

Just as Anna and Hoagie collaborate in the game, Isla Fisher and Ed Helms worked together to find the couple's exaggerated dynamic, bound by the characters' singular dedication. 'Anna and Hoagie are basically on holiday in the movie. Some couples go away to an island, some might do a sport together, but they really like to play tag," notes Isla Fisher.

'Bond has Q, and Hoagie has Anna," quips Ed Helms. 'The remarkable Isla Fisher is one of the great comedians working right now. She's full of ideas, always pitching jokes and lines and trying to make the scene work even better. That's my favorite thing, discovering the layers, and it was a hoot doing that with Isla Fisher."

'It was really enjoyable to play around a bit with scenes," Isla Fisher agrees. 'Ed Helm's brilliant and so great with story and structure and his standup background made the whole process a pleasure. We laughed a lot."

Anna isn't the only girl in the room with an obsession. Jerry's fiancée is making rules"and making it impossible for the guys to play the game"so she can keep the May wedding she has dreamed about her whole life intact.

Leslie Bibb stars as Susan Rollins, the bride-to-be who may not be competing in the game but is definitely competing with it. Leslie Bibb was immediately drawn to the story, recalling, 'I loved the whole spirit of it, that your friends are your chosen family and how it's important to keep those close ties. They know you've got to have some fun to stay young; they haven't given up that part of childhood." She adds, 'And it was so freakin' funny."

Jeff Tomsic says, 'Leslie Bibb just committed to being hilariously villainous at a level that I never imagined. She's got huge comedic balls."

'It's supposed to be the best weekend of her life, until these hooligans show up," explains Leslie Bibb. 'I love that Susan adores Jerry so much. She's like a politician's wife. No matter what happens, she stands by him. I mean, she's ride or die, she'll do anything for Jerry and anything to make her big day shine."

The on-screen couple has been off-screen friends for years. 'I've known Leslie Bibb forever," Jeremy Renner attests. 'She's like my sister and it was an excuse for us to hang out. Susan is a great counterpart to Jerry and Leslie Bibb was a scream."

Likewise, Leslie Bibb thinks of Jeremy Renner as a brother and, while she relished the chance to work with him, 'I was super excited and then I thought, -Ew, I have to make out with him,'" she laughs.

'But we had a really good time being Susan and Jerry."

In spite of Susan's rules, Hoagie and the crew are determined to find a sliver of time between off-limits functions, like the rehearsal dinner and the wedding itself, to execute their plan to trap Jerry. They are a focused team with a plan timed out to the minute"until an unexpected wedding guest shows up. Cheryl Deakins, who Chilli and Callahan had a crush on as kids, might be too much of a distraction for the boys to keep their eyes on the prize. Suddenly it's like they're back in school, competing for her attention.

Cast in the role, Rashida Jones says, 'Cheryl is the third point of a love triangle with Chilli and Callahan. She's had a connection with them for a very long time, since they were little."

At any given time growing up, either Chilli or Callahan was pining for her, lovesick. Jon Hamm says, 'She's the one who got away, the cute girl you loved in school who grew up. Rashida Jones plays the spice that stirs the stew. She's great and I had a wonderful time working with her."

'Rashida Jones's amazing," Johnson adds. 'She really grounds Cheryl, so it's nuanced; it's not just John and Paul fighting for Yoko and Yoko screws up the band."

The trio's chemistry was exactly what the filmmakers wanted. Garner says, 'It's not hard to think back to your own middle school crushes. She was terrific."

Not playing the game but joining the fun, 'Tag" is full of familiar faces from the comedy world, including Lil Rel Howery, Nora Dunn, Thomas Middleditch and Steve Berg.

Behind the Camera

The film, which takes place over three days, was shot during the summer in and around Atlanta, Georgia. Jeff Tomsic teamed with production designer David Sandefur to create the right environment, and veteran cinematographer Larry Blanford to achieve the look he had in mind.

'Larry is a great DP and has done a lot of comedies, but also came up in the world of shooting giant action sequences, so his experience was invaluable.

The director wanted the crux of the action to stem organically from the guys' serious approach to the game. 'I wanted to do the scenes from the guys' perspective," Jeff Tomsic continues.

'To them, playing tag is like acting out their superhero fantasies. I wanted to elevate those moments accordingly, so once we were in the tag set pieces, we would be on the edge of fantasy. Luckily, I had an incredible team to help me visualize and execute those big stunt sequences."

Stunt coordinator Eric Linden was key to that effort. 'Eric Linden is not only great at building and photographing action, but has a great sense of comedy. He was so integral to making the tags really cool," the director states.

'Jeff wanted the action to be comical but have a different punch to it," says Eric Linden. The team had lengthy conversations about how to visually translate building the action out of the guys' characters. It wasn't just about showing the game, but their commitment to staying in each others' lives, and reconnecting with who they were as kids. 'Those are the real stakes"it's about trying to be more than just regular, mundane adults. That's a problem as big as life and death, or anything our favorite action movies address," says Jeff Tomsic.

Jeff Tomsic didn't want to do a straight parody of those types of films, however. Rather, he says, 'I wanted to channel the imagination of the characters who grew up watching those movies and saw themselves through that lens. We needed to show that they have this absurd vision of themselves, but also how crucial the game is to their happiness."

Jeff Tomsic did storyboards of all the action sequences and cut a mashup of movies to show how he wanted the action to play out. Linden then shot pre-vis sequences with his stunt crew, starting with Jerry's grand entrance into the country club. The team loved how it looked, and continued developing from there with a few core ideas: stylized action that slows down and speeds up, while Jerry's narration predicts the guys' lame strategy in real-time. The filmmakers' love of Guy Ritchie's style shows.

To realise the distinct visual style, Blanford used a Phantom camera, which shoots up to 1,000 frames per second, to capture all the action in slow motion. Lensing with the Phantom had an impact on the lighting setups, too, as it requires massive amounts of light.

The lighting set up was also influenced by another creative decision. Because he had a large cast with backgrounds in standup and prone to ad lib, Jeff Tomsic wanted to preserve all the unexpected gems. 'So instead of lighting for coverage and then setting up again," Blanford explains, 'I tried to light them so they could move, and always had two or three cameras going, to insure we didn't lose anything."

And the actors took advantage of Jeff Tomsic's encouragement.

'Jeff Tomsic was cool about us jumping in," says Johnson, 'which can be tricky in an ensemble; you don't want to step on anyone. But it was a great group, everyone was so good, we all found our rhythms."

Jeremy Renner, better known for his dramatic roles, went with the flow. 'Jeff Tomsic's got a great sense of humor, so it was nice to make him laugh. And everyone was so damn funny, they just riff and it's amazing."

Several intricate scenes involving tags that seem more like free-for-all brawls required meticulous planning and a week of rehearsals for the actors. To plan out the action, Linden and filmmakers dissected the rules of tag. 'The big question was, 'If you can't touch someone, how can you transition from one guy to the next guy in a fight sequence?'" Linden details. Jeff Tomsic and Linden came up with using objects that already exist in the room, 'for Jerry to use on the fly," says Linden. They wanted to show that Jerry 'wasn't just better or faster or trickier. He was smarter than time itself."

With the size of the cast, it was also important to make sure everyone stayed active in the tag while also keeping track of who has touched who and constantly tracking who is 'it." Linden comments, 'The creative process behind it was involved but I really enjoyed it.

'It really is like a dance," Linden explains. 'And the guys brought so much to it, they really had the attitude of big kids willing to get in there and do it."

'There was a lot of running, a lot of falling, tripping, a lot of dad bods flailing about in various states of not being in shape. And the problem with being in your 40s is your face does not look good in slow motion. There's a lot of things that move that you just wish wouldn't," Hamm deadpans.

'You see these guys hauling toward you, and I'd be by the monitor and almost dive under my chair," Jeff Tomsic admits. 'They were all so willing to engage in this difficult physical layer on top of everything else and it was really nice to have that level of dedication."

In addition to an Alexa camera, other techniques Blanford employed to elevate the style in various tags were drones, a techno crane, shooting moodier scenes in 500 frames per second, and using a handheld camera to create kinetic energy.

Pivotal game moments in 'Tag" unfold over the course of the wedding weekend, including the unexpected chase through Chilli's complex, in and out of shocked neighbors' apartments, leaving a path of destruction, shot at Deerfield Apartments in midtown Atlanta; brawls shot at the Country Club of the South in Alpharetta, which is the fictional Deer Creek Country Club in the film where the rehearsal dinner takes place; in the basement of a church, shot at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Tucker; and a crazy golf cart chase shot at Stone Mountain Golf Course, also doubling for the Deer Creek Country Club, but utilized for where the wedding ceremony takes place in the film. In a nod to horror films, a creepy sequence"which the filmmakers nicknamed Predator" shot at Cherokee Trail, Stone Mountain Park, Jerry has cunningly booby trapped the forest around the golf course to trap the guys and run out the clock.

'Shooting with these slow-motion cameras, you actually perform at a reduced speed," explains Ed Helms. 'Of course, Jeremy Renner's 60 percent is still 180 percent. I'm not a super physical guy. I can't keep up with him."

Some additional tag locations included the sleek glass conference room and atrium at U.S. Porsche Headquarters in Atlanta for the WSJ tag; the Piedmont Fayette Hospital in Fayetteville; Hugh Howell & Robert E. Lee Cemetery in Stone Mountain; and a modern private residence in Atlanta, where the guys break in hoping to find Jerry but instead find his tag stash, including dossiers on them, satellite maps of the city, as well as costumes and other paraphernalia. Jerry has also taken Hoagie's childhood teddy bear, Mr. Stubbles, hostage, and clearly has nefarious plans for him. 'David Sandefur and his team really did a beautiful job," says Jeff Tomsic. 'He created a look that balanced cartoonish fantasy, steely action, grounded reality and nostalgia. He really understood the tone that I was after. I didn't want this movie to feel like a purely straightforward comedy, and it was a big challenge to build a world that was heightened and ludicrous, but still felt like home. And David Sandefur completely delivered."

When the guys are not in an actual tag, they are planning their next move, beginning in the War Room. David Sandefur and his team constructed and dressed Hoagie's basement on a soundstage at Tyler Perry Studios. The set reflects time standing still, stuck in childhood, with plastic toy soldiers and board games stacked on shelves. Foosball and a pool table hold center stage, as does a poster of a sports car. Photos of the guys together, younger, adorn the wall behind couches where they still can"and will"crash for the weekend, a constant reminder of the enduring nature of their friendship.

Sets were also built on the soundstage for several humorous sequences reflecting the groups' shared history over the years, which the guys reminisce about over the weekend.

The Training Room ATL doubled for Jerry's Granite Fitness gym, where the guys' and girls' interrogation of an employee mimics a CIA inquisition on steroids. Upstairs scenes at Hoagie's house were shot at a private residence.

Sandedur and his team also put up huge banners of Jerry's gym advertisements at Phipps Plaza in Buckhead, with a larger-than-life Jerry making an appearance before a one-on-one tag attempt.

The production also spent five days at the North River Tavern in Sandy Springs, which became The Sandpiper Bar in the film. It's the kind of bar that hasn't changed since they spent time there together years ago.

Although Jerry strands the guys in the woods, they are determined to make it to the wedding and a tag showdown. The outside ceremony was shot in Stone Mountain, at the Marriott Evergreen Pavilion, standing in for Spokane Golf Club in the film.

The production design team kept the climactic wedding pavilion sequence grounded, tasteful and sincere. They decorated the rock and wood Pavilion with sprays of pastel flowers, while costume designer Denise Wingate dressed multiple bridesmaids in peach and bridegrooms in light grey suits.

The heat and humidity were challenging, necessitating the use of hair dryers before and after takes to keep the fabric dry.

Throughout the film, Wingate dressed Bibb in crisp pastels 'to reflect Susan's tightly wound nature and to make her look sweet but also a little crazy," she says. It may paint her as uptight or prissy, but only to distract from the fact that despite being new to the game, she's just as good as the men.

The fitted, beaded wedding dress reflected that as well and was the first one Bibb tried on. Bibb, who did some running herself in the elegant dress, teases, 'I mean, I loved the dress, thank God it had short sleeves, but I wanted to burn it, it was so hot!"

Jerry wears black and dark colors to reflect his elusive character, but a tasteful light grey suit at his wedding. The guys clean up nicely, but Hoagie won't let that get in the way of the game, wearing sneakers under his dress pants.

Wingate enjoyed one costume in particular, inspired by an actual disguise one of the Tag Brothers used in a real-life tag. In the film, Hoagie, disguised as an old woman, tries to surprise Jerry when he's picking up his tux.

To recreate the ankle-length, housecoat-type dress"accompanied by the vivid, multicolored chunky afghan shawl Hoagie dons, along with a wig, cat-eye glasses and potentially lethal purse" Wingate studied the home movies taken by the Tag Brothers over the years. She recalls, 'It was so much fun making that and Ed looked hilarious!" In a nod to the real Tag Brothers escapades, Ed Helms also donned a wig and fake moustache for another attempted ambush.

In fact, several of the real Tag Brothers were on set during production, and Jeff Tomsic was thrilled to have them there. 'They're wonderful people, and so enthusiastic about the film. After they saw us shoot, they said, -This is how we act as friends.' That was the biggest compliment of all. So, it felt like we were getting it right," Jeff Tomsic shares.

The rest of the Tag Brothers echo fellow tagger-in-crime 'Joey T's" sentiments: 'We can't express our thanks enough to everybody. It's been exciting to be part of this and the film -Tag' really captures what friends are all about."

To underscore the tongue-in-cheek action and different styles of each tag sequence, Tomsic enlisted Germaine Franco to compose a score that encompasses all the genres.

Franco says, 'Jeff Tomsic was very specific as to what themes he wanted to use in each sequence, and how he wanted to mix sound effects with score to create very specific styles. Jeff and I started out by discussing two main themes. One was a -mission' theme that plays under some of the action sequences for Jerry. The second theme is a -caper,' or tag, theme that is used when Jerry is being chased. After developing the themes, Jeff Tomsic had specific notes about how and where he wanted to apply them to the score. The first action sequence that I scored used the mission theme as the characters chase Jerry at an event."

The composer adds that the final action sequence was equally challenging. 'It is a mix of sound effects, voice overs and score that are interwoven very tightly so it is difficult to discern what is score and what is SFX. The use of slow-motion sequences with this combination of audio was a huge thrill to score. The orchestral and electronica elements move in and out of the SFX. I had to be very nimble to make sure that I didn't get in the way of the many elements that were working together to create an exciting action sequence."

In addition, the director used songs from the guys' youth to punctuate moments. Most of the soundtrack features music from their high school years. 'My friends and I grew up in Iowa, and there was very little to do except drive to punk shows together," says Tomsic. 'I wanted that eclectic world of the early -90s to be everpresent in the movie's background." The film includes 'Wave of Mutilation" by the Pixies, 'Mmm Mmm Mmm" by Crash Test Dummies, 'Motownphilly" by Boyz II Men, 'A Good Idea" by Sugar, and an original cover of 'Lake of Fire" by Eric Bachmann of Archers of Loaf.

Todd Garner sums up, 'I think the entire tag team we assembled on this film put together something really special. I hope people enjoy watching it as much as we did making it."

'I want -Tag' to make people laugh, and feel nostalgic about their own friends and childhood," Jeff Tomsic concludes. 'I hope -Tag' reminds the audience that you can get together with friends, spend too much time with them, love them, get to the point where you want to kill each other, and then miss them the minute you leave, because you realize these are the best people you know and you're lucky they are in your life."

Tag
Release Date: June 14th, 2018