Brent Butt says he thought ‘don’t ruin’ new “Corner Gas” movie

REGINA – The cast of the hit TV series “Corner Gas” are revelling in the newest set of shenanigans to befall the residents of Dog River — only this time the laughs and blunders are taking place on the big screen.

Brent Butt, Nancy Robertson and Lorne Cardinal were among the stars to walk the red carpet in Regina on Tuesday for the public world premiere of “Corner Gas: The Movie.”

Butt, who was born and raised in Tisdale, Sask., was a standup comic when he created the series in 2004, which ran on CTV for six seasons.

He said it was challenging to write a movie script and the cast and crew worried about not living up to fans’ expectations.

“‘Corner Gas’ was a thing that had a known rhythm, a known pace and known characters and the stories were of a certain level,” he said, adding that the writers were wary of creating one long 90-minute episode instead of a script fit for a movie.

“We thought, let’s not ruin ‘Corner Gas,’ let’s make that priority one,” he said with a laugh.

Butt, who starred as gas station owner Brent Leroy, said he couldn’t be happier with how the movie has turned out.

“So far the response, it’s very gratifying. There’s that relief, you didn’t ruin it, it actually works.”

Nancy Robertson, who played gas station employee Wanda Dollard and is Butt’s real-life wife, said the Kickstarter campaign that helped to fund the movie was a “pat on the back” from fans.

The campaign raised nearly three times its goal of $100,000. Kickstarter is a crowdfunding website that allows people to donate to projects, often in exchange for rewards. For instance, a Saskatoon philanthropist won the right to hold the actual premiere of the movie — a private showing for about 300 people Monday night in Saskatoon that also served as a charity fundraiser.

Robertson said she wasn’t sure how the TV series would translate to film, but the sweeping expanse of the land around Roleau, Sask. — known to fans of the series as Dog River — was perfect for those big-screen cinematic shots.

“The prairie looks stunning,” she said, adding that the transition to film “felt really natural.”

As for the story it tells, the movie is set five years after the end of the series and finds the town of Dog River mismanaged and the target of a corporate giant.

Lorne Cardinal, who played police officer Davis Quinton, said the audience’s reaction at the Monday screening was encouraging.

“The audience loved it, they laughed where they were supposed to, and teared up where they were supposed to and (there was a) standing ovation at the end, so I think we hit it,” he said.

The movie will play in select theatres from Dec. 3 to 7 before it’s released on TV.