Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire
| Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Genre | Comedy, Sword and sorcery |
| Created by | Peter A. Knight |
| Developed by | Peter A. Knight and Brad Johnson |
| Directed by | Alex Hardcastle |
| Starring |
Sean Maguire India de Beaufort Kevin Hart Steve Speirs Marques Ray Alex MacQueen Matt Lucas |
| Narrated by |
Michael Gambon (UK) Chris Parnell (US) |
| Country of origin | United States United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Scott Landsman (Comedy Central) Rob Bullock (Hat Trick) Simon Wilson (BBC) Peter A. Knight Brad Johnson Jimmy Mulville Flody Suarez Courtney B. Conte |
| Producer(s) | Mario Stylianides |
| Running time | 28 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Hat Trick Productions Media Rights Capital Watson Pond Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network |
Comedy Central (U.S.) BBC Two / BBC HD (UK) |
| Original release | April 9 – May 7, 2009 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire is a British-American comedic sword and sorcery series created by Peter A. Knight, co-produced by Hat Trick Productions and Media Rights Capital for Comedy Central and BBC Two, which premiered on April 9, 2009 in the USA and on June 11 in the UK.
The series, set in an ancient fantasy realm, follows reluctant hero Kröd Mändoon (Sean Maguire), a "thin-skinned and underconfident freedom fighter" in his struggle against the evil ruler, Chancellor Dongalor (Matt Lucas).
The creator, Peter A. Knight, has said that the show's humor was inspired by The Simpsons, Get Smart, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the last of which he claims to have seen more than any other movie. The name Kröd, which is the word dork spelled backwards, was inspired by someone Knight knew growing up in school, who was often picked on; the boy was nicknamed Krod, although he failed to realize it was an insult. The series was filmed in Budapest, Hungary, and show developers Knight and Brad Johnson were on the set at all times for the filming of each episode. Chancellor Dongalor's castle's exterior is Orava Castle in neighboring Slovakia. The flaming sword used by Kröd is not a computer-generated special effect, but an actual sword prop with a gas canister and a hose that runs up actor Sean Maguire's arm to light the blade.
The brief opening title sequence was designed to reflect a visual style of movie posters from fantasy films of the 1980s, as well as more modern fantasy movies like The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
Sean Maguire originally passed on the part because he wanted to do a more serious project following his role in the poorly received 2008 comedy film Meet the Spartans, and did not think the show was right for him; he also said he thought the title sounded stupid. Maguire said, "I thought, 'Who’s going to watch this piece of shit?' ... I'm too quick to judge." His manager encouraged him to read the script and give it another chance and, upon reading the script, Maguire changed his mind and decided he wanted the role. Maguire worked out two hours a day for three months prior to filming the first season in order to build up his physique for the role. The dynamic between Mändoon and Aneka was in part inspired by an idea Knight and Johnson had for a comedy set at a workplace, where a man and woman break up but have to see each other every day at their work setting; Maguire said he felt that aspect of the relationship gave Mändoon a very "human element" and was easy for male audiences to relate to.
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