Kelly wrote '' Southland Tales '' shortly before the September 11 attacks . The original script involved blackmail , a porn star , and two cops . After the attacks , Kelly revised the script . He said , " The original script was more about making fun of Hollywood . But now it 's about , I hope , creating a piece of science fiction that 's about a really important problem we 're facing , about civil liberties and homeland security and needing to sustain both those things and balance them . " He described the film as a " tapestry of ideas all related to some of the biggest issues that I think we 're facing right now . . . alternative fuel or the increasing obsession with celebrity and how celebrity now intertwines with politics " . With the film 's premise of a nuclear attack on Texas , Kelly wanted to take a look at how the United States would respond and survive while constructing a " great black comedy . " Kelly 's breakthrough film , '' Donnie Darko '' , was released in the United States on October 26 , 2001 , the same day the PATRIOT Act was signed . Two months before '' Southland Tales '' was released , he announced the launch of Darko Entertainment
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Southland Tales