- ID ent . ▁ ▁John ▁Lar ro qu ette ▁as ▁V aug hn ▁Small house , ▁an ▁ad visor ▁to ▁Senator ▁Bobby ▁F rost . ▁ ▁Kevin ▁Smith ▁as ▁Simon ▁Theory , ▁a ▁leg less ▁Ira q ▁War ▁veter an ▁who ▁works ▁for ▁Baron ▁von ▁West ph alen . ▁ ▁Production ▁Kelly ▁wrote ▁South land ▁T ales ▁shortly ▁before ▁the ▁September ▁ 1 1 ▁attacks . ▁The ▁original ▁script ▁involved ▁black mail , ▁a ▁por n ▁star , ▁and ▁two ▁c ops . ▁After ▁the ▁attacks , ▁Kelly ▁re vised ▁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 ▁libert ies ▁and ▁hom eland ▁security ▁and ▁need ing ▁to ▁sust ain ▁both ▁those ▁things ▁and ▁balance ▁them ." ▁He ▁described ▁the ▁film ▁as ▁a ▁" t apest ry ▁of ▁ideas ▁all ▁related ▁to ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁biggest ▁issues ▁that ▁I ▁think ▁we ' re ▁facing ▁right ▁now ▁. ▁. ▁. ▁alternative ▁fuel ▁or ▁the ▁increasing ▁ob session ▁with ▁celebr ity ▁and ▁how ▁celebr ity ▁now ▁inter tw ines ▁with ▁politics ". ▁With ▁the ▁film ' s ▁prem ise ▁of ▁a ▁nuclear ▁attack ▁on ▁Texas , ▁Kelly ▁wanted ▁to ▁take ▁a ▁look ▁at ▁how ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁would ▁respond ▁and ▁surv ive ▁while ▁construct ing ▁a ▁" gre at ▁black ▁comedy ."