How Did This Get Made?

Grizzly II: Revenge w/ Jake Johnson

October 3, 2025

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • The film *Grizzly II: Revenge* was a chaotic production, originally shot in 1983 in Hungary around a massive real-life concert called the Beast Festival, but the producer absconded with the funds, leaving the non-concert footage unfinished until its 2020 release with added modern B-roll. 
  • The film controversially features future superstars George Clooney, Laura Dern, and Charlie Sheen in the opening scene, which was moved from later in the original cut to the beginning specifically to help market the long-shelved movie. 
  • Guest Jake Johnson highlighted John Rhys-Davies' bizarre and over-the-top performance as Bouchard, who delivers mystical monologues and appears to possess superhuman strength, contrasting sharply with the poor acting of the main leads. 
  • The discussion heavily devolved from analyzing *Grizzly II: Revenge* into an extended, spontaneous debate about defining and recasting roles using a newly coined term, "Geek Squad" (later revised to "G Squad"), composed of younger, digital-native actors. 
  • The hosts and guest Jake Johnson noted the film's lack of narrative cohesion, comparing its stitched-together scenes to the tangents of their own conversation, which ironically justified the deviation into the 'Geek Squad' topic. 
  • A final 'Last Looks' segment revealed a five-star review from the film's special effects designer, detailing the technical elements of the bear puppets and explaining that the movie's failure to finish was due to the crew's equipment being seized by the Hungarian government when funding dried up. 

Segments

Sponsor Read: Claude AI
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Claude is an AI tool designed to help users analyze production history and context behind films.
  • Summary: Claude is presented as an AI thinking partner for digging deeper into fascinating subjects. Users can try Claude for free at claude.ai/slash hdtgm. The service is promoted as a tool for uncovering the stories behind the stories in Hollywood’s strangest decisions.
Sponsor Read: Xfinity Wi-Fi
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(00:00:28)
  • Key Takeaway: Xfinity promotes its Wi-Fi service as the ‘smartest Wi-Fi’ with state-of-the-art equipment.
  • Summary: The Xfinity service is advertised as boosting speeds to necessary devices, supporting streaming and gaming. It also powers mobile connections for faster, secure Wi-Fi on the go. The system is designed to work seamlessly to keep users connected.
Sponsor Read: McDonald’s Value Meal
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(00:00:58)
  • Key Takeaway: McDonald’s is offering a limited-time Sausage McMuffin with Egg extra value meal for $5.
  • Summary: The $5 extra value meal includes a Sausage McMuffin with Egg, a hash brown, and a small coffee. This promotion is only available at McDonald’s for a limited time. Prices and participation may vary.
Episode Introduction and Guest Welcome
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(00:01:13)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts introduce the movie Grizzly II: Revenge and welcome guest Jake Johnson from the We’re Here To Help podcast.
  • Summary: The episode focuses on Grizzly II: Revenge, a film that took 37 years to be released in 2020. The premise involves a giant grizzly attacking a big band rock concert in a national park. Jake Johnson joins Paul and Jason as a replacement for June Diane Rayfield.
Initial Reactions to Concert Footage
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(00:03:40)
  • Key Takeaway: The modern concert footage inserted into the film was jarringly different from the original 1980s concert aesthetic.
  • Summary: Jake Johnson noted that much of the runtime consisted of concert footage and B-roll of animals. The original 1980s new wave concert footage was praised for its vibe, but the modern band footage felt out of place, shot close-up without microphones.
Origin of the Concert Footage
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(00:05:01)
  • Key Takeaway: The massive concert footage was from a real 1983 Hungarian music festival called the Beast Festival, headlined by Nazareth.
  • Summary: The original filmmakers created the massive musical festival in Hungary, which drew nearly 50,000 people. The producer, Joseph Ford Proctor, subsequently ghosted the crew with the remaining money after the first day of shooting non-concert scenes. Proctor was later convicted for fraud.
Clooney, Dern, and Sheen Casting
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(00:08:05)
  • Key Takeaway: The three future stars (Clooney, Dern, Sheen) were hired primarily due to nepotism to help game the box office, despite their scenes being cut and later reinserted at the beginning.
  • Summary: The actors were cast early on, but their scenes were originally intended to appear later in the film, after the discovery of three dead teenagers. The film’s remaining producer re-edited the movie to place the Clooney/Dern/Sheen scene at the start after they became famous.
John Rhys-Davies’ Performance
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(00:12:05)
  • Key Takeaway: John Rhys-Davies’ portrayal of Bouchard, a character who believes the bear is a mythical creature, was noted for being intensely uncomfortable and memorable.
  • Summary: Bouchard claims the grizzly was created by the great Manitou and that bears once walked on two legs. The character’s backstory is later established as a man whose family was killed by a bear, leading him to adopt this persona. Rhys-Davies’ commitment to the role, including moving a tree with his bare hands, stood out.
Production Chaos and Seizure of Assets
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(00:14:00)
  • Key Takeaway: The production collapsed when the Hungarian government seized all film equipment, including the bears, due to unpaid bills, halting post-production.
  • Summary: The producer took the money and disappeared, and the Hungarian government confiscated all assets, meaning the film was never properly finished in 1983. Canon Film Group attempted to finish it in 1987 but went bankrupt, leaving the film to languish until Gravitas Pictures acquired and stitched it together with modern footage.
Modern B-Roll and Music Insertions
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(00:16:23)
  • Key Takeaway: The 2020 release included modern drone shots and footage of a 2016 band called The Days performing their song ‘The Planet,’ which the band claimed they did not know would be used in this context.
  • Summary: The visual storytelling is confusing due to the patchwork quilt of footage from different eras. The modern band, The Days, were paid $500 for footage they did not realize would be inserted into a 1983 film. The bears used in the original shoot also reportedly burned up in a warehouse fire.
Daughter/Ranger Relationship Vibes
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(00:18:31)
  • Key Takeaway: The sudden, unexplained romantic development between the park ranger’s daughter and a musician, culminating in an awkward, suggestive conversation with her father, was a major point of confusion.
  • Summary: The relationship between the daughter and the musician appears fully formed without any preceding setup, leading to a scene where the musician questions his worth. The subsequent scene where the daughter speaks to her father (the lead actor) has an uncomfortably sexual tone, suggesting improvisation or a lack of script supervision.
Uncredited Tim Spall Appearance
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(00:02:08)
  • Key Takeaway: British actor Tim Spall appears uncredited in the film, seen in a scene blocking access to a senator and his wife.
  • Summary: The actor, known for roles like Peter Pettigrew in Harry Potter, appears very young in the film. He plays a character who insists that no one is allowed where the senators are located.
Poachers’ Motivation and Behavior
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(00:30:46)
  • Key Takeaway: The poachers’ sole motivation is obtaining the bear’s gallbladder for money and its rumored aphrodisiac qualities, leading them to prioritize the kill over immediate danger or even the death of their own brother.
  • Summary: The poachers are focused on splitting the money from the gallbladder sale, even immediately after one of their group is killed by the bear. Their goal is explicitly stated as seeking money and ‘boners’ (sexual potency).
The ‘Geek Squad’ Actor Theory
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(00:40:16)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts invent the term ‘Geek Squad’ to describe a generation of digital native actors who understand modern media distribution, citing Jacob Elordi and Austin Butler as prime examples.
  • Summary: The ‘Geek Squad’ is defined as a group of young, hot actors who inherently ‘get it’ in the digital age, unlike older generations who focus on theatrical releases. This concept is contrasted with historical acting cliques like the Brat Pack and Frat Pack.
Bear Quality and Jaws Comparison
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(00:52:09)
  • Key Takeaway: The poor quality of the bear effects in Grizzly II: Revenge contrasts with Spielberg’s successful decision to minimize the shark’s presence in Jaws to build tension.
  • Summary: A listener questioned if bears from Disney’s Country Bear Jamboree would have been more emotive than the bear in the film. The hosts noted the bear’s immobility forced filmmakers to use close-ups with a blurry background to imply its presence near the concert. This poor execution is contrasted with how Jaws succeeded by hiding its malfunctioning mechanical shark.
Bouchard’s 80s Style Analysis
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(00:53:56)
  • Key Takeaway: John Rhys-Davies’ character, Bouchard, exemplified a specific 1980s aesthetic shared by figures like Steven Seagal, characterized by cultural appropriation, accents, and a thin beard.
  • Summary: The size of the bear was questioned when John Rhys-Davies’ character was shown jumping onto it. This led to an analysis of the ‘Bouchard’ look, which involved thick white men adopting questionable accents, high ponytails, and thin beards. This style was humorously linked to Steven Seagal’s persona, including playing blues guitar and becoming a sheriff.
Geek Squad Recasting Grizzly II
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(00:55:10)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts and Jake Johnson engaged in recasting the main roles of Grizzly II: Revenge using actors they defined as part of the ‘Geek Squad’ generation.
  • Summary: The conversation pivoted to casting the movie with ‘Geek Squad’ actors, suggesting Jacob Elordi for Bouchard and Jeremy Allen White for the protagonist with the beard. Jenna Ortega was suggested for the conservationist daughter, creating a potential awkward age dynamic with her on-screen father. Jacob Elordi was also suggested for the role of Bouchard.
G-Squad Definition and Boundaries
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(00:59:14)
  • Key Takeaway: The ‘Geek Squad’ (or ‘G Squad’) is defined as a generation of digital native actors, distinct from musicians like Taylor Swift or established stars like Jennifer Lawrence, who paved the way but are ‘above’ the group.
  • Summary: The definition of ‘Geek Squad’ was debated, excluding musicians and established stars like Jennifer Lawrence, who is considered the ‘godmother’ who walked so the Geek Squad could run. Jeremy Allen White’s casting was questioned as he is primarily a TV actor and potentially too old, contrasting with the group’s youth focus. The term ‘G Squad’ was later favored as it sounds less like ‘Gangster Squad’ or ‘God Squad’.
Film’s Ending and Crew Perspective
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(01:05:07)
  • Key Takeaway: The film concludes abruptly with the bear being electrocuted on stage, followed by a scene featuring tertiary characters discussing a political career move, and a listener review confirmed the bear effects were completed before production halted due to seized equipment.
  • Summary: The movie ends strangely with the bear being electrocuted on stage, followed by a scene where a character attempts to impress Congress by hosting a one-night-only rock concert. A five-star review from the special effects designer clarified that the 14-foot puppet and the half-size animatronic were finished in Hungary before funding dried up and the crew’s equipment was seized by the government.
G Squad Propagation Strategy
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(01:10:06)
  • Key Takeaway: The plan to popularize the term ‘G Squad’ involves casually inserting it into industry conversations without referencing the podcast’s origin, hoping it catches on organically.
  • Summary: The hosts agreed that the term ‘G Squad’ is better than ‘Geek Squad’ and should be spread casually in meetings to make people uncomfortable, suggesting it implies quality filmmaking. They decided that if executives or writers start using ‘G Squad’ without referencing How Did This Get Made?, the term will have successfully taken hold. The concept was immediately applied to actors like Jacob Elordi and Joey King, who are considered part of the group.