Nimrod Antal is directing PREDATORS

[Pchan 5,162]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/41590

The first question I would have is this. Why didn't you take the reins on PREDATORS?

When I was hired to write the original draft back in 1994, i was only brought on as a writer. I never thought I'd get to work on it in any other capacity. So a few months ago, when Alex Young at Fox contacted me about re-inventing the franchise using my original draft as a template for getting as far away as possible from the AVP movies, I jumped on it. It's hard to be just a writer on a picture, because you write in some of your really great ideas, and then off they go to someone else and you have no real involvement after that. I was already booked up as a director when this came back to me, but I still wanted to have a hand in making it. So I lobbied to have the movie done through my studios so I could oversee it in a stronger position than a producer usually takes on. Alex came down and saw Troublemaker Studios, and the facilities and crew that I've built up over the past 12 years, and he felt right away that this is where the movie should be made and that doing it down here would be the best way to protect it from the studio system. He was keen on making a very "non-studio" picture.

So I'll be taking a more upfront role as a producer than would normally be the case in Hollywood.

I loved Nimrod Antal's KONTROLL - I thought VACANCY was, well atypical of the problematic work of Screen Gems and I know you've seen ARMORED. What was it about Antal's work that made him leap out to you as being the director of PREDATORS?

First of all, on a personal level I found him to be an outstanding presence, a great communicator full of ideas, and upon meeting him you can immediately understand how he is able to wrangle cast and crew and get the best out of everyone. I always loved Kontroll, where he proved himself to be a very resourceful and original filmmaker. When I saw Armored, I could tell he's also great with action and has a keen eye for casting. He reminded me of Quentin with how he was able to work with a group of very strong, singular actor talents and make it look effortless. I know he'll be able to get the most out of what we want to be an outstanding cast. We really want to go with a character driven action movie, because that's what we all remember about the original Predator, and we want to take it even further with this.

Your original PREDATORS treatment back in the day was a very large scale production. At what scale are we looking at for this movie? How big is this going to be?

The original PREDATORS script was large scale, because as a writer I didn't have to worry about how it would be made. I didn't care it was 1994, and that the majority of the movie wasn't even technically possible at the time. As far as I was concerned, that was going to be the filmmakers job. I just had to write a cool script.

Well, now it's come back to haunt me, but good news is that a lot of this (and a hell of a lot more) is doable today. We'll have to be cutting edge to pull it off, but that's what makes it exciting for us, and will be the challenge in bringing this to screaming life.

Will PREDATORS be shooting in AUSTIN at Troublemaker Studios?

Yes. Any stagework will be done here, and to take advantage of the new Texas incentive program, we'll need to shoot at least 60% of the movie in Texas. So sorry, Harry, you're gonna be tripping over predators this fall.

I know that Berger & Kurtzman worked on the original PREDATOR - and you've been a long time supporter of KNB, but Stan Winston's company is generally the company one thinks of when they think PREDATOR. Have y'all lined up a practical visual effects company yet and can we know who?

I think I'd put it the other way around, KNB has been a long time supporter of mine. They've always been there for me with scotch tape and popsicle sticks (cause that's all i could afford) to make my movies work, so I can't wait to finally give them a real budget to make some really kick ass creatures. And we know we don't want to go crutching on CG for this, so I need people I can count on and that I know will go the extra hundred miles to deliver. Nicotero and crew will be more than up to the task.

Give us a quick rundown on the planned story we're going to be getting, because PREDATORS - as you told me the first time we talked about this project, was always meant to be what ALIENS was to ALIEN. How do you and Antal beat McTiernan and Arnold?

I can't go too much into the story right now, because we're still writing. But it still involves a very intense group of people stranded on a Predator planet discovering unspeakable horrors (that are not always from outside their group). So like the original movie, the title does have a double meaning.

Aliens was a different take on the Alien idea, and an original movie in it's own right, and that's what we want to do with this.

As to how this movie will be viewed, one of the guys at Fox told me "No one is ever going to talk about AVP again after this film, I will stake my life on it."

And he's a really nice guy, so I don't want to see him dead. Now that lives are at stake, it's no longer a job it's a mission.

Failure is not an option.

What do you see your process as being as Producer of this film?

So far working with my writers and director doesn't feel very different than my collaboration on Sin City, working with Frank Miller and Quentin. It's one for all and all for one.

Lastly, is it possible to make a truly badass film at FOX?

I won't really know until I make a movie there. This movie is being made at Troublemaker Studios.

[Kite 3,263]

at least they kinda admitted AVP was horse shit.

that gives me a small amount of hope

[Sledgstone 8,672]

So the movie will take place on a Predator planet... interesting.