Return (Movie)

*Return* is a 2165 American family action comedy film written and directed by Arthur McCain, starring George Washington, Arthur Wilkonson, Alissa Frost, Christopher Silverman, and Maxwell Thomas.

The story is part of McCain's "Return" genre, in which historical figures come back to life in the modern era, inspired by the historic British film Look Who's Back, in which JFC Fuller comes back to life in London. The film's plot follows the divine return of George Washington, as he interacts with the modern world and is pursued by the corrupt Senator Cornelius Vault (Thomas).

*Return* debuted on July 4, 2165, to enormous success, becoming the highest-grossing film of the 2160s, and would end up being the highest-grossing film of the 22nd century, making almost $7.9 billion USD at the box office. It was, for a time, the highest-grossing film in history until it was edged out by The Silver Blade in 2320 at 7.10 billion. In 2186, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

## Plot

In 1799, news travels around the fledgling United States that George Washington has died. 366 years later in 2165 a Revolutionary War reenactment is happening in Virginia, as George Washington, brought back by divine intervention, awakens in a field nearby. Stumbling through the woods, confused, George finds his way to the reenactment and is assumed by the members to be the actor playing Washington. Confused, George believes this to be a real battle and assumes command, amusing the actors with his "dedication."

However, as the crowd assembles and the team prepares to move out, the actual actor playing Washington shows up late. George, assuming the man to be mocking him, challenges him to a duel. In the ensuing fight, George knocks the actor out and the police are called.

## Cast

* George Washington as himself
* Arthur Wilkonson as James T. "Jimmy" Reed: The young assistant to Dr. Marvin
* Christopher Silverman as Thomas Edison "Doc" Marvin: An eccentric scientist researching his "Divine Return" theory.
* Alissa Frost as Julia Marshall: Dr. Marvin's young niece and Jimmy's love interest.
* Maxwell Thomas as Senator Cornelius Vault (L): The Senior Senator of Virginia, a corrupt politician who seeks to use George for his political gain.

Aside from Washington himself, McCain wished to construct a cast who reflected how he imaged each character. He also borrowed inspiration for Jimmy and Doc heavily from films such as *Back to the Future*'s Dr. Emmet Brown, which he cited as his biggest inspiration for Dr. Marvin.

Due to McCain's extremely stringent requirements for each actor, the film crew cycled through many possible picks, the hardest being Jimmy. Washington himself, who was in on each audition, said in a 2195 interview "Art was so strict about Jimmy's actor, more than any other character. We went through almost fifty actors, yes, fifty. Twenty-seven in one day, it was exhausting. Finally, Arthur [Wilkonson] walked in, and Art stood up, pointed, and shouted 'Yes, him!'"

Maxwell Thomas, who portrayed Senator Vault, was also one of the film's co-writers. McCain ended up basing Vault on Thomas, who said in 2166 "Some might find it insulting for the villain to be based on you, but I loved it. It was my favorite role as an actor." In fact, Thomas enjoyed his role so much that McCain rewrote the ending to have the senator survive.

Silverman, who portrayed Dr. Marvin, was approached personally by McCain while the actor was playing Jacob Walter on *The Landons.* Silverman, who was at the time primarily a television actor, was hesitant to sign onto the movie. He was only convinced after meeting with Washington himself.

## Production

### Conception & Writing

According to McCain, the idea of a *Return* movie centered on Washington was his first, though he put the idea off and instead focused on other projects.