When Blast talked to Craig Deering of Evil Iguana Productions back in November, he was still riding the wave from the EIP “The Dark Knight“ spoof that at that point had earned them over 6,000,000 hits on YouTube and made them instant Internet sensations.

Then, their “Twilight“ trailer spoof, which was the lesser-known cousin of the Batman spoof, earned them a hearty 2,000,000 YouTube hits. In the seven months that have passed since then, Deering and the rest of the Evil Iguana crew have become enveloped by Twi-Hards, and earned themselves free front-row tickets from MTV to the MTV Movie Awards Sunday night.

Bailey “NoMoreMarbles“ Gauthier, beloved “Twilight” YouTube personality and friends of Deering and EIP, received passes to be seat fillers at the Movie Awards from her contact at MTV. She was allowed to bring some “friends” and chose to invite Deering and EIP members Joe Korbel and Tom Latvys. “Of course we weren’t going to say no to that” Deering said.

Though the foursome were originally supposed to be seat fillers for the cast of “Twilight” the company behind filling seats said it would be nearly impossible to guarantee those seats. MTV pulled a few more strings and got them seats at the front row of the pit, “10 feet from everyone” Deering said.

They didn’t get to meet any of the cast “" or make a swipe at Megan Fox’s behind like Deering had joked on his Facebook “" but while they were in L.A. they did get a chance to talk to Christian Serratos who plays Angela in the “Twilight” films.

Deering, who is petitioning Summit to play the role of Riley in next year’s “Eclipse” said he will get a chance to meet the cast of “Twilight” (sans Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson) July 4 at a Make-A-Wish fundraiser in Portland, Oreg. and during Twi-Con in Dallas July 30 to August 4.

When the “Twilight” YouTube spoof originally debuted, Deering and the EIP gang never had any plans to get involved in the Twilight fan culture, but he said he is glad things have changed.

“I’m loving it” Deering said. “I didn’t think I was going to be a part of this Twilight universe thing, but making that spoof was one of the best ideas we had to do.”

Deering told Blast EIP will be making a 15 to 20 minute long “Twilight” scene they will debut at Twi-Con. He also said they are very strongly considering making a “New Moon” trailer spoof, but need some more scenes than the one minute trailer to make an adequately funny spoof. “We might as well” he said.

Though EIP has never worked with or been approached by MTV before, they had the opportunity to make a video before the Movie Awards that MTV put on their Movies Blog site and MTV asked them to continue sending them their videos. Deering said he will be sending MTV the “Eclipse” YouTube petition video in the hopes MTV will get behind their campaign.

Blast previously reported on the “showdown” between “Twilight” screenwriter Melissa Rosenbaum’s choice for Riley “" Channing Tatum “" and fan pick Deering. Tatum was also at the MTV Movie Awards, and Deering said he was apparently sitting about 15 feet away from him.

“I said to Bailey, “ËœHold me back, I’m going to jump him’” Deering told Blast with a laugh. “”ËœI’m going to challenge him to a dance off.’”

Deering said that originally his idea to play Riley in “Eclipse” was a just a joke.

“The fans we were talking to thought we were serious, and they started spreading the word around, and it just got bigger and bigger” he said. “Now we’re going full force and trying to get into this movie.”

EIP got to meet up with T180, a Disney-owned studio that makes a lot of spoofs and parodies, while they were in LA. Turns out not only Blast, MTV and Twi-Hards have had their eyes on Evil Iguana, but Disney has as well. The people Deering, Korbel and Latvys spoke to said they had been planning on reaching out to EIP previous to the Movie Awards experience, and talked about making some spoofs together in the future.

Deering also shed some light for us on the Bruno/Eminem fiasco at the Movie Awards. “I personally think it was scripted because I went back and I watched it to hear everything and [Eminem] was miced the whole time” Deering said. “I wouldn’t know why they would mic someone if it wasn’t. It was very chaotic in the actual awards ceremony when it happened.”

Korbel and Latvys both thought the incident was unscripted, Deering said.

Deering not-so-subtly implied in his post-Movie Awards blog for MTV that he would be interested in participating in more MTV events. With attention from big shots like MTV and Disney, it looks like Evil Iguana is ready to dominate more than just YouTube and “Twilight.”

Fans can check the guys out when they are featured at Twi-Con in Dallas July 30 through August 4. Keep an eye on Blast for up-to-date news on Evil Iguana Productions.

Even before “Twilight” was ever made into a movie, fans have predicted and speculated on who they want to see portray each role in the saga. The most recent cast suggestion — Channing Tatum as vampire Riley — came from “Twilight” and “New Moon” screenwriter, Melissa Rosenberg.

“Eclipse” the third installment of the “Twilight” saga will bring a few important new characters into the story, including the ravenous young vampire, Riley, who Melissa Rosenberg believes should be played by Channing Tatum. The 29 year old actor of “Step Up” and “Fighting” fame might have a lot to bring to the “Twilight” franchise, but Twilighters have someone else in mind.

Evil Iguana Productions’ Craig Deering has become a favorite of “Twilight” fans over the past few months after his role as James in EIP’s “Twilight” parody video, his appearance at the TwilightLive DVD release party in New York City and his upcoming appearance at TwiCon with fellow EIP member, Allen Murphy.

Twilighters are now showing their love for Deering by campaigning for him to appear in “Eclipse” as Riley. When HisGoldenEyes.com, one of the series’ most popular websites, ran a story on Tatum’s possible role in the film, the comment section was overwhelmed with votes for Deering to portray the character instead.

For example:

by amanda @ 01 May 2009 05:57 pm

by Blue @ 01 May 2009 06:04 pm

NO CHANNING! but I would see the movie five more times if Craig was cast! That would be seriously awesome and we know he actually can act… Summit should get on that pronto!

Hahaha I love Craig.

and

by ROLO @ 01 May 2009 06:05 pm

OME, Evil Iguana Productions? That would be so cool! Lol. I don’t know about Channing, I always thought of Riley as thin and lean, like a teenager for some reason. Plus, Channing reminds me of last semester’s health teacher. And that’s just … weird. Especially in that photo. Lol. =P

In that case, the buff Channing Tatum should probably step aside for the charmingly lanky Craig Deering.

Blast asked Deering himself what he has that Tatum doesn’t.

“I may not be able to swoon girls with my sweet dance moves or survive underground boxing” Deering replied, “however, I would bring a fresh approach to the character I am sure fans could appreciate.”

And the fans definitely do appreciate Deering already. Another comment on the story said “NO CHANNING! but I would see the movie five more times if Craig was cast! That would be seriously awesome and we know he actually can act… Summit should get on that pronto!”

Right now it is just another “Twilight” rumor going around, but Deering would be more than willing to make it a reality, as he said he would be “definitely all for it” given the chance to audition.

He gave Blast this heads up: “I’m actually planning a video campaign with two of my friends as a result of fans telling us we should audition, so they should keep their eyes on YouTube for that.”

And he just might be able to get Summit’s attention for that audition with enough fan support, which he has full faith in.

“The amount of dedication these fans have is amazing” Deering said, “and the amount of work they are putting into saying what they want is helping a lot.”

Has Deering got what it takes to step it up and beat out Channing Tatum for the role? Let Blast (and Summit) know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Evil Iguana Productions has finally posted their sequel to Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight.” You can view it here:

For more information on Evil Iguana Productions, read our cover story from November here.

Evil Iguana Productions first attempt at a dark drama.

Taking place 2 months after Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight.” The Joker has broken out of Arkham Asylum and is now holding a family hostage on Christmas Eve. His goal is to once again prove that one bad day can break anyone. Now with Gordon and Monotya trying to devise a way to save the family, he must quickly prove his point and escape.

Directed By: Craig Deering & Allen Murphy
Produced By: Craig Deering & Allen Murphy
Written By: Kyle Bridges
Edited By: Craig Deering
Director of Photography: Allen Murphy
Lighting Designer: Tony Jordan

Joker-Craig Deering
Gordon- Kyle Bridges
Batman- Joe Korbel
Montoya- Katie Diedrick
Father- Tom Skobel
Chuckles- Tony Jordan
Grumpy- Daniel Drake
Grumpy’s Voice- Jon Drummer
Weepy- Tom Lavys
Mother- Adrianna Lombardo
Male Child- Zach Jones
Female Child- Kelsey Petersen
Police- Mark Deering
Patrick Clemens
Maynard Tan
Jeff Burnett
Franco Battista
Alreds Voice- Kyle Bridges

Evil Iguana Productions chose Blast Magazine to premiere the trailer for their upcoming “Silent Night,” a serious drama set in the Batman universe.

“We thought we would take a quick break from comedy for a little while and attempt a dark drama,” said EIP’s Craig Deering.

Cast:
Craig Deering as the Joker
Kyle Bridges as Gordon
Joe Korbel as Batman

Featuring Katie Diedrick and Tom Skobel

Directed by Craig Deering and Allen Murphy

Evil Iguana’s team is nervous about this movie, because it’s their first attempt at a “non comedy.”

“At first we where all very afraid at attempting a drama but after looking at some edited footage and seeing the trailer we are very excited now and hoping others will have the same reactions,” Deering said. “It took a little over a month to film, and now we are in the post production aspect.”

We offered our warmest “thank you” and a big hug to the Evil Iguana guys:

“No problem haha we are glad you guys can premiere it, hopefully you guys will enjoy it as well,” Deering said.

Here’s the info on the whole Evil Iguana Productions crew:

Craig Deering

Director/Producer/Editor/Writer/Actor
Age: 21
School: Columbia ’10, Film Major
Favorite Role: Craig, Joker
Favorite Film: Fight Club, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Dark Knight, The Departed, Smokin’ Aces
Favorite EI Production: The Dark Knight Trailer Spoof, The Allen and Craig Show Ep 5+, Fuzz
Quote: “I Swear one day I will save the world!”
Random Fact: He will marry Ellen Page or Hayley Williams one day … they just don’t know that yet

Allen Murphy

Director/Writer/Actor
Age: 20
School: DuPage ’09, Columbia ’11, Film major
Favorite Role: Officer Murphy, Himself
Favorite Film: Fight Club, Pulp Fiction, The Departed, Royal Tenenbaums, Rocky, Amadeus
Favorite EI Production: Fuzz, RIP EIP
Quote: “I’m not really an ass, I just play one online.”
Random Fact: Has never eaten Spaghetti O’s

Kyle Bridges

Writer/Actor
Age: 20
School: DuPage ’09, Columbia ’11, Film Major
Favorite Role: Mario, James Gordon, Kyle
Random Fact: As a child, Kyle used to be a model. Yeah, he doesn’t know what happened either.

Lars Heemskerk

Actor
Age: 20
School: Univ. Illinois ’10,‚ Music Major
Favorite Role: Aquaman, Captain Justice Dude Guy, Lars
Favorite Film: Lord of the Rings, Star Wars IV-VI, Anything with Jason Statham
Favorite EI Production: Allen and Craig Show, Fuzz
Quote: “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World”
Random Fact: Lars loves the Clarinet. if you think thats lame he will eat your unborn children.

Joe Korbel

Actor
Age: 19
School: DuPage ’10, Gen Ed
Random Fact: Joe is the cameraman for many of The Allen and Craig show episodes.

Dan Drake

Actor/Website Administator
Age: 19
School: University of Illinois-Chicago, ’11 Pre-Med
Favorite Role: Luigi, Harvey Dent
Favorite Film: The Boondock Saints, Fight Club, Iron Man, The Dark Knight
Favorite EI Production: Fuzz, Dark Knight Spoof
Random Fact: Dan was Luigi in “Fuzz”

The filmmakers took a break between shots to adjust the camera and lighting for the next take. As they reviewed the previous shots, their star received a make-up touch-up. The bright lights were causing his white face paint and green hair dye to run.

When they were ready to resume, the actor once again repeated his lines, strutting around in his green vest and purple suit, flicking his tongue out over his lips in an awkward habit.

The filmmakers cut the scene and congratulated each other on the success. They were filming a new Batman movie that took place two months after the conclusion of July’s blockbuster, “The Dark Knight.” It was their first filming session, and the groups of filmmakers were making great progress.

Their star went to drink some water between takes and was greeted by the owner of the house they were filming in. “Nice makeup,” she said.

They were not on a sound stage or the lot of a billion-dollar production. The actor playing The Joker was not a Hollywood prima donna but mild-mannered 21-year-old Craig Deering of Illinois.

The house’s owner was Deering’s best friend and fellow film maker Allen Murphy’s great aunt Mary’s. While watching the filming, she told her nephew that while she always supported the arts and was glad to help, she had not expected college students running around her house dressed as Batman and an evil clown.

“She watched a little bit through a window and like peered in a couple time, and I think she might have freaked out a little bit,” said Deering.

“In my family, she should have known better,” Murphy, 20, joked.

With their initial success tucked away, the guys decided to venture into feature-length territory. (Photo by Dan Drake)

Deering and the rest of the filmmakers are part of Evil Iguana Productions. The group creates and posts their films on YouTube and suddenly blew up when they spoofed “The Dark Knight” trailer in the summer.

The filmmakers are a bunch of college kids who have been making movies together since high school with nothing but Deering’s father’s video camera and some editing software.

It wasn’t until July when the group released “The Dark Knight” spoof that they became stars. In the four months since its release, the video has received over 5 million views. Their new Batman movie is a follow-up to their spoof of “The Dark Knight” trailer that they released in July.

“I am like really happy that it is getting that good of reviews and like people are still watching because, honestly, when we were making it, and we were about to release it, I was so scared to release that video because I thought we were going to get shot down,” said Deering sitting down to chat with Blast recently. “(I thought) everyone was going to yell at us for like trying to spoof Batman and telling us it was crap, and I was expecting to take it down. But, all the positive feedback and stuff is great.”

Deering is the director and editor of all of the Evil Iguana videos, and also came up with the ideas for the “The Dark Knight” spoof, as well as the mockeries they made of “Twilight” and “The Number 23.”

–

After the success of their Batman spoof, Deering and the rest of Evil Iguana decided to venture into unknown territory — a 30 to 45 minute serious film about the Joker, set in Christopher Nolan’s Batman universe.

Deering said that making the drama was a challenge and a big change from their previous work.

“This is like by far the most professional we’ve been with a movie, which I thought was really cool, because usually we just get our camera and improvise a lot of stuff,” said Deering.

Two buds

“I was a total nerd (in middle school): big glasses, comb over. ‚ I think my graduating class was like 21, it was really small. I tried my best to fit in with the rest of the class, though‚ I was never considered one of the “cool” guys, but it was alright,” said Deering.

Today, Deering has people requesting to be his friend on Facebook whom he has never met but feel they know him through his Youtube series, “The Allen and Craig Show,” and his various film spoofs.