I didn’t know what we were going to do if we didn’t get the rights to that. Like anybody, they’re protective of their brand. Thomas had to stay neutral in the battle, which was always our intention. Thomas couldn’t be doing anything that could be perceived by children as evil Thomas. For example, nobody could be tied to the tracks and run over by Thomas. Thank God they agreed and found it funny, but there were definite stipulations. We had to do this whole thing where we did this presentation for the people who own the rights to Thomas. As I came on, they had not secured the rights to Thomas. At some point in the process that predated my involvement it became Thomas. 'I believe in Edgar and Joe Cornish’s original drafts it was a train set.
Director Peyton Reed told FilmSchoolRejects:
