Interview with Chip Perro: Exploring the Unconventional ‘Teriyaki Chicken Rescue’

Chip Perro is a writer, director, and actor, and his expertise extends to the realms of comic, sci-fi, and martial arts genres. As the founder of Perro Worldwide Comics, Chip has consistently delivered great work with his unique storytelling style and imaginative vision. 

Today, we delve into his upcoming cinematic masterpiece, “Teriyaki Chicken Rescue,” an ambitious sci-fi and martial arts adventure that pushes the boundaries of imagination and anything you’ve seen so far. With an anime-inspired vibe and an exciting plot, this film promises to be Chip’s most ambitious undertaking to date. We got the opportunity to discuss ‘Teriyaki Chicken Rescue’ with Chip, and here’s what he delivered. 

FH: Can you tell us more about Perro Worldwide Comics and your role as a writer, director, and actor within the company? This must be a pretty busy schedule, and how do you manage to balance all of it?

Chip Perro: Perro Worldwide Comics is a production company specializing in Comic, Sci-Fi, Video Games, Martial Arts, and Fashion Entertainment.

Writing, directing, and acting do make for a busy schedule! Luckily, there are ways to get it all done. I think the trick is to plan carefully and take it one step at a time. I consider myself a writer first, and crafting the story is my favorite part of the process. After the script is complete, I start thinking about the visual style and tone of the movie. 

By the time production starts, I have a very clear direction of how I want the movie to look, and then it’s just a matter of getting it filmed. As for the acting… I’m often so pumped by what I wrote, I have to jump in and play a role!

Are you the main creative mind behind the studio?

Perro Worldwide Comics is a family company. I am the creative mind behind the studio. I write everything, co-direct, and act. When Perro Worldwide Comics was founded, I essentially said that I wanted to start a production company, and my parents thought it sounded like a pretty good idea. 

So, we just dove in. Debbie Perro is the production arm of the company, and Rick Perro is the technology arm, co-director, and cinematographer. When we’re in production, we can have upwards of 50-75 actors on a project and a crew. But we keep our crew to a minimum, focusing on putting as much talent in front of the camera as possible!

What inspired you to combine comic, sci-fi, and martial arts elements in your projects? Is there any particular piece of entertainment and or /art as the main driving force behind the project? 

I’m a martial artist, and I have been training in traditional Shotokan Karate with my Dad for over thirty years. We both have Black Belts through the Japanese Karate Association (JKA), which is headquartered in Tokyo. Martial Arts are an important part of my life, and several of my film projects have a martial arts theme. 

I’m also a big fan of martial arts films… ‘Enter The Dragon,’ ‘The Karate Kid,’ and ‘Atomic Blonde’ (I count that as a martial arts movie) are some of my favorites. I’m also a huge fan of comics and sci-fi entertainment. I grew up with the Christopher Reeve Superman films, and I’ve been reading comics (mostly DC) since I was little.

The DCAU is also a personal favorite. When it comes to sci-fi, there’s so much that I enjoy. From ‘Star Trek’ (DS9 & Voyager) to ‘Star Wars,’ to ‘Back to the Future,’ to ‘The Twilight Zone,’ I think Sci-Fi, at its best, is the most inventive genre out there.

‘Teriyaki Chicken Rescue’ is a love letter to all of this, but it takes the genres into new directions I haven’t seen before.

How does your upcoming film embody the comic, sci-fi, and martial arts genres?

‘Teriyaki Chicken Rescue’ takes my favorite elements of comics, sci-fi, and martial arts films and mashes them together into one big adventure. The visual style is a mix of Hollywood Glam with a moody neo-noir aesthetic. Characters are styled with a high-fashion punk influence.

Can you tell us more about the plot of ‘Teriyaki Chicken Rescue’ and the main characters involved?

The story follows six Hollywood-Action-Stars who use their screen-ready martial arts skills to fight crime in a reality show. After a mysterious murder at Griffith Observatory, the team is called to investigate. They quickly find themselves in the middle of a supernatural case involving man-eating-aliens, retro video games, and one perfectly prepared dish of teriyaki chicken. Themes of family, fate, and taking a leap of faith are explored.

The main characters include Chastity Violenti, Gia Violenti, Brooke Adler, Sara Nakayama, Jane Jules, and Dale Aroura. Together, the team is known as the “Tactical Samurai,” and each of them wears special “Fructose Armor” when they’re in the middle of a fight. Chastity wears Cherry Red, Gia wears Elderberry Blue, Brooke wears Mango Orange, Sara wears Kiwi-Fruit Green, Jane wears Banana Yellow, and Dale wears Dragon-Fruit Pink.

Based on everything, how do you plan to incorporate the anime vibe into ‘Teriyaki Chicken Rescue’? Can you discuss any unique visual or stylistic choices you’ve made in the film that contribute to its overall aesthetic?

Anime is visually stunning. I think one of the things Japanese storytelling does so incredibly well is matching setting and location with the moods of the characters and tone of the scene. In ‘Teriyaki Chicken Rescue,’ we’re turning the city of L.A. into a character within the film. It’s a mix of the glossy Hollywood and gritty film noir streets we all deep down want it to be, oversaturated in a way it can only appear on film.

‘Teriyaki Chicken Rescue’ is your biggest production to date. What are some of the challenges you’ve encountered during the pre-production phase?

Because of the scope of the project, pre-production has been a long process. If there’s any specific challenge, it’s having to remind myself that we have to stick with the plan… As much as I want to just jump right into production!

Could you share any interesting behind-the-scenes anecdotes or memorable experiences from the production?

Because this is such a deep narrative adventure, we’ve produced several short segments that begin to set up the stories and characters in the film. Every member of the “Tactical Samurai” team has a specific punk style associated with their look, and that includes signature hairstyles. Chastity sports a dual-side-shave, Gia has a fully buzzed head, Brooke has a shaved undercut with design, Sara has brightly colored two-toned dyed hair, and Jane has long braids.

The actors we cast are excited about the makeovers, and we filmed them to show audiences how to get the “hero” look. The style videos have proven to be extremely popular with fans. The fashion and style are a huge part of the project.

What sets the movie apart from other sci-fi and martial arts films? 

I haven’t seen anything written like this before. When I started crafting the story, I said to myself, if I’ve seen it done, I don’t want to do it. I think far too often. Writers craft scenes based on other things they’ve seen. And the first time it’s done, it’s original, but it quickly becomes cliche. I wanted every scene to be unique… Something I’ve never seen before. And despite having my inspirations, I think I’ve created something new.

The narrative structure is also new. This is a long film with side-story adventures and multiple subplots. In many ways, it’s written more like a book than a screenplay. A still leads to B and to C, but there are several twists and turns before you get there.

Do you have any other projects to share info about? Looking ahead, what are your future plans and ambitions for Perro Worldwide Comics?

‘Teriyaki Chicken Rescue’ is the launching pad for new Perro Worldwide Comics fans, and this is the first in a series of interconnected films that will continue the adventures of the Tactical Samurai. This first film is an adventure, but I already have plans for the Tactical Samurai well beyond this movie!

One earlier project I created was a web series ‘High Heel Samurai’ that I consider the spiritual predecessor of Teriyaki Chicken Rescue.

You can check out more about Chip’s work on the official site of Perro Worldwide Comics.