Eric McCormack and R.W. Goodwin Bring "Alien Trespass" to the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con

Right off the bat, Eric McCormack set the tone for the "Alien Trespass" interviews. "No Debra Messing questions," McCormack said, laughing, in Press Room 22 at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con. McCormack, of course, was referring to his co-star on "Will and Grace," the groundbreaking show that made him a star.

Eric McCormack Plays Astronomer Ted Lewis

Sitting with "Alien Trespass" director R.W. Goodwin, McCormack talked about working on this film, a funny and affectionate look back at those great science fiction movies from the 1950's. The actor plays Dr. Ted Lewis, a California astronomer who finds himself unexpectedly battling an evil alien creature called the Ghota.

As Dr. Lewis, McCormack takes on the mannerisms of a typical TV dad from the 1950's, including clutching an ever-present pipe in his teeth. He acknowledges that there's a little Fred MacMurray in his performance. "There's some Fred there, but I stole a lot from Richard Carlson," he said, referring to the actor who starred in "It Came from Outer Space."

"Alien Trespass" is Not a Spoof

Goodwin said the idea for "Alien Trespass" came from Jim Swift, who ended up co-producing the film. "He had seen these movies when he was a kid and thought they were the best, especially the classics, but the problem was he said there wasn't enough. He wanted to make one more," Goodwin said.

"They're fun, they are sweet movies. The thing about them is they were made in the 50's, they were very earnest and they meant what they were doing. If you look at them years later, they are funny. What we tried to do was make it truly the way it was made in 1957. This is not a spoof; this is not 'Mars Attacks!'"

Classic Science Fiction Films Become the Prototypes for "Alien Trespass"

Goodwin, who was Executive Producer on "The X-Files" for the first five seasons, said they used three movies as prototypes: the original 'War of the Worlds,' 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'-the original of course-and 'It Came from Outer Space.' "Those were the movies I asked the actors to watch because those really were the best acting from the period," he said. "The rest of us who didn't have to act looked at a whole bunch of other movies, and we found some really cheesy ones that we stole stuff from."

Dr. Lewis's Body Hijacked in "Alien Trespass"

Although the Ghota are intent on taking over the Earth, a benevolent alien named Urp arrives to stop the invasion. To use his knowledge of how to destroy the Ghota, Urp takes over Ted's body, which made McCormack have to switch gears, going from 1950's husband to alien protector.

"At one point, Urp steals a car, which he doesn't drive particularly well, but he learns pretty quickly. I thought 'That's what Ted's body is. Ted's body is a stolen car,'" McCormack said. "The movement was very much someone who is someone who flew across the galaxy, so he learns pretty quickly, but still a little rusty. The walking was a little odd, the picking up of things a little childlike."

"Alien Trespass," rated PG for sci-fi action and brief historical smoking, lands on DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday, August 11.