Shad Armstong, who plays Doug, originally auditioned for the part of Tony, but his generally happy, optimistic disposition made him a better fit for Doug, who gets Tony (and the universe) into this mess.
The third act is based on the horrendous condition of writer Tom Sanchez Prunier's home office while in college. His desk was piled high with papers, he had two different newspaper jobs and was writing his first feature-length screenplay. One night, amid the chaos, he spilled lemonade directly onto his laptop, shorting the monitor. Fortunately, after several days of anxiety, one of Tom's friends was able to help him recover his data and loan him a laptop to finish his semester.