Movies & TV / Columns
Nick Lyon On His New Movie President Down, Experience Working With Tubi
Image Credit: Ben Wilson
The 411 Interview: Nick Lyon
Nick Lyon is a writer, producer, and director who has been making movies, according to his IMDb page, since at least the year 2000. Lyon has directed such movies as Species: The Awakening (2007), Zombie Apocalypse (2011), Bullet (2014), Hercules Reborn (2014), Christmas in Vienna (2019), and On Fire (2023) (check out my review of On Fire here). Lyon’s latest movie as a director is the low-budget action thriller, President Down,, a Tubi Original produced by The Asylum and featuring Jesse Kove, Gail O’Grady, G. Anthony Joseph, and Lorenzo Lamas (you can watch President Down for free right now on the Tubi streaming platform here). In this interview, Lyon talks with this writer about making President Down, working with Gail O’Grady, working with Tubi and The Asylum, and more.
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Bryan Kristopowitz: How did you decide that you wanted President Down to be your next movie as a director?
Nick Lyon: I was honestly a little hesitant at first because the script had 218 scenes—that’s a massive number. But I loved the hook: hacking a pacemaker to extort a president. I had never seen that before, and it was such a cool idea. I love thrillers and tension, and wanted to create a tense movie. My biggest concern was how we were going to pull off Air Force One, Washington D.C. streets, and all those scenes in just 12 days. Still, I’m always up for a challenge. The dialogue and screenplay were solid! For the lead I suggested Jesse Kove early on, because we’d worked together before and he’s the perfect “Reacher” type. He’s the kind of actor who gives it everything, is easy to deal with and makes other actors better, which makes a director’s job much easier. I was also interested in working with Billy Butler, who produced alongside David Latt and David Rimawi. Another huge factor for me was making sure we had legitimate sets. We were very fortunate to rent real hospital and airplane sets—those pay for themselves on screen. Originally, there was talk of using an old airplane set at the studio, but it simply wasn’t going to sell as Air Force One. Thankfully, the producers invested in proper sets, and it made all the difference.
BK: Is it better to refer to President Down as an action movie or is it more appropriate to call it a thriller?
NL: I would call it a political thriller with action.
BK: Where was President Down made?
NL: We shot entirely in Los Angeles—The Asylum Studios, Aero Mockups, a rented hospital, and a handful of other local locations. On this budget, it made the most sense to stay in L.A., because travel costs would have eaten up any tax incentives elsewhere. That said, L.A. can be tough—FilmLA sometimes raises location costs drastically with very little notice. Still, Los Angeles has fantastic resources, and for low-budget films that need standing sets like we did, it’s the best place to shoot.
BK: How did you cast President Down?
NL: Casting with The Asylum follows a specific process. We had already worked with Jesse Kove, and everyone loved the idea of him in the lead, but network approval is still required. I usually work closely with the casting director, pick my top three choices, and then send them to The Asylum, who narrows it down further for Tubi’s input.
Some roles, especially celebrity offers, go directly through David Rimawi for Tubi approval. After doing so many projects with The Asylum, I trust their casting instincts. My philosophy is that I can shape a performance and make the actor fit the role, rather than always searching for the “perfect” match on paper.
One standout for me was G. Anthony Joseph. I hadn’t met him before, but he brought such an articulate, unexpected, and refreshing take to the villain role. He was the opposite of a stereotypical “bad guy,” and that made his character all the more compelling.
BK: Describe your working relationship with Gail O’Grady, who plays the President.
NL: Gail was incredible. She gave 100% every time and wasn’t focused on vanity—she just delivered. We really bonded over set etiquette. On low-budget films, sometimes people forget that actors need the same respect as equipment. Noise during takes is a huge distraction, and both Gail and I felt strongly about keeping the set disciplined so actors could focus.
BK: Describe your working relationship with G. Anthony Joseph, who plays the villain Dr. Walsh.
NL: G. Anthony is a powerhouse. I could easily see him as a Bond villain or a Disney antagonist. He’s sharp, articulate, and delivered a ten-page monologue flawlessly. He’s also in phenomenal shape, incredibly focused, and one of the nicest guys you could meet. He made the role his own and elevated the film.
BK: How long did it take to make President Down, from finishing the script to completing post-production?
NL: The script development took quite a while, with Geoff Meed rewriting Kenny Zinn’s original draft several times. But from the moment I was hired to the end of shooting, it was about a month. The Asylum moves fast once a project gets greenlit. The real delay usually comes in getting to that point.
BK: What was the hardest part of making President Down for you as a director? What was the easiest?
NL: The hardest part was shooting 218 scenes in just 12 days. That required block shooting—combining multiple short scenes into longer, continuous takes. It’s like staging a play: it takes more rehearsal but gives the film a natural flow and helps us stay on schedule.
The easiest part? The cast. Working with Jesse Kove, G. Anthony Joseph, Gail O’Grady, David Chokachi, Paul Logan, Gina Vitori, and Lorenzo Lamas—every one of them came prepared, were professional, and collaborative. They made my job a joy.
BK: What was it like working with The Asylum and Tubi?
NL: Working with The Asylum is always an adventure. I’ve been fortunate to direct many of their bigger-budget projects, but even then, it requires a lot of creativity and “movie magic.” They’re efficient, especially in post-production, and operate more like a machine than a traditional studio. A machine that gets things done in a very untraditional way.
I enjoy the freedom they give me on set. The biggest restraint I have is no script supervisor, and very low budgets. There’s not much studio supervision on set, so I get to trust my instincts (which I guess they trust) —sometimes I nail it, sometimes I adjust on the fly. For example, in President Down, there’s a sequence on the airplane that required magnetic hand props. That wasn’t in the script, but I added it on set to make the sequence work.
Tubi is amazing and they are carving out the future of television: ad-supported, free content with broad audience appeal. This was my fourth Tubi Original, and it’s exciting to be a part of that growth.
BK: How is making something like President Down similar to making your movie On Fire? How is it different?
NL: The big difference was budget—President Down had less money. With On Fire, I wrote, produced, and directed, so I had more control in development and prep. With President Down, I was hired to deliver a commercial film, and the producers trusted me to make it happen.
Both films had excellent crews, but with The Asylum I worked with a team accustomed to the fast pace of production. As for cast, Jesse Kove is a rising action star who thrives on collaboration, while Peter Facinelli (in On Fire) is an experienced veteran with a different style. Both were fantastic, just different dynamics.
BK: Any upcoming projects you can tell us about?
NL: Yes. I’m planning to shoot a horror film called Face of Evil this October. It’s been in the works for over a year while financing came together. I also have a couple of bigger projects on the horizon.
BK: What do you hope audiences get out of President Down?
NL: I hope the film keeps audiences on edge, stays one step ahead of them, and delivers real entertainment value. Honestly, I’d love to see it expanded into a series with this same cast—they were all outstanding.
BK: Any interest in a potential President Down 2?
NL: I’d be open to it, but I’d be more excited about a series—or another original story.
BK: If you had Secret Service protection, what would you want your code name to be?
NL: Blade Runner.
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A very special thanks to Nick Lyon for agreeing to participate in this interview and to david j. moore for setting it up.
President Down is available to watch for free on the Tubi streaming platform (check it out here)!
Check out my review of President Down here!
Check out Nick Lyon’s official website here, official Facebook page here, official Twitter page here, official Instagram page here, and IMDb page here!
Image with Nick Lyon, G. Anthony Joseph, and Gail O’Grady courtesy of G. Anthony Joseph. President Down poster image courtesy of Tubi. All other images courtesy of Ben Wilson.
