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The James Gunn Interview
Hollyfeld, here.
Welcome to the first edition of The Hollyfeld Reporter, a semi-regular direct line to our readers through which I, or other members of the TNMC cast, can editorialize various aspects of the media. This will not be another stupid column written by some guy who doesn't know what he's talking about - I will speak out only on matters about which I feel confident I have a right to an opinion. Exactly how many matters that entails no doubt remains to be seen. If I am too ignorant about a subject to discuss it intelligently, I will not discuss it at all, or mention it only in passing. The issues of the entertainment industry are too complex, and often too important, to criticize lightly. I also feel that uncalled-for negativity is unproductive at best, and harmful at worst, but more often than not merely unnecessary.
I write for TNMC because I love film, pure and simple. I write Look Closer... because I want to raise the public's consciousness of great but under-hyped films, and I will write The Hollyfeld Reporter because I feel that there are issues in the industry that need to be discussed in a mature, productive fashion. Anything less would be unfair to the medium that I love.
This first Edition of The Hollyfeld Reporter has a very special treat for you: an exclusive (as far as I know) interview with the writer behind next year's controversial new film, Scooby Doo, James Gunn. There has been a lot of negative backlash about various aspects of the film's production, including but not limited to its casting, director and even storyline - the latter being somewhat ironic since, as far as anyone knows, no one in the online critical community has even read the final draft of the script yet. Hence, we don't really know the final direction in which the film is heading.
Regardless, the first draft of the Gunn's Scooby Doo screenplay has made the rounds in the internet film criticism community and the response has been largely unfavorable - my own review and STAX's over at Filmforce being the only primarily positive reviews I have read thus far. After reading my review, James Gunn sent me a very polite e-mail thanking me for the objective review. He also let drop a few little tidbits about the production that he has allowed me to print for you:
"I just got back from Australia -- we finished shooting on Monday (a week ago Monday, now - Hollyfeld) -- and, although the script has changed a lot since the one you read, I'm quite happy with it (that draft was a very early first draft, written in a few weeks -- I think the new draft is better). The cast is great, the movie looks good, it's strange as hell, and it should be a fun ride."
He closed with a casual offer of additional info that I cautiously accepted (as usual, I tend towards polite discretion when dealing with people already in the industry). I expressed my interest in finding out more about his other projects, particularly Scooby and this Fall's upcoming 13 Ghosts. His reply:
"As far as 13 Ghosts go, I was simply hired for a couple weeks to rewrite the dialogue and tighten up a couple characters. The other guy - Rich D'Ovidio -- did most of a major rewrite. An interesting bit of trivia is that I was hired in large part to recreate the role of Rafkin, which ended up being played by Matt Lillard, who, months later, ended up playing Shaggy as well."
And on the subject of Scooby:
"I've seen most of the rough assembly and I'm very, very excited. From here on it's up to Scooby. I'm hoping his performance will equal or better the rest of the cast."
Additionally in the e-mail I mentioned how much I would like to interview him - an offer he politely accepted and I spent the night writing some interview questions to send him. I honestly did not expect to receive such a great response, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. James seems like a great guy. The interview follows.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Gunn's work, he is perhaps best known as the writer of last year's critically acclaimed superhero satire, The Specials, in which he co-starred as Minute Man, and wrote and produced the critically acclaimed (for a Troma film, at least) Tromeo & Juliet. His other credits include a revision of 13 Ghosts, as well as the books All I Need to Know About Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger, co-written by Troma legend Lloyd Kaufman, and The Toy Collector. James Gunn is also recently married, and I would like to send him my heartfelt congratulations. When asked if there was anything special he wanted me to mention in his introduction, he had the following to say:
Here we go (TNMC interview questions in BLUE):"The only thing to mention that's special is that my novel, The Toy Collector, is coming out in paperback this month. Out of all the things I've worked on thus far, I'm probably proudest of that."
There has been a lot of critical backlash from the Internet community regarding various aspects of the Scooby Doo production, including the film's direction, the film's director, and some controversial casting decisions. What are your reactions to this negative feedback?
First of all, I have to say I'm not too fond of the whole internet script-reviewing phenomena in the first place, especially when we're talking about a first draft of something. John Updike is lucky that when he hands out an early draft of his novel for comments to his friends, that one of them doesn't hand a copy to the New York Times Book Review to be reviewed. The only draft anyone on the internet I know of has read is the very first draft, completed in a few short weeks. It has been through countless drafts since then. So I don't really think many people CAN criticize the direction of the film -- they really have no idea what direction we've taken.
As far as criticism of the cast goes, the cast has proven to be great. I saw countless Shaggy auditions on tape and Matt just blew them out of the water. He's awesome, as is the rest of the cast. Any personal criticisms of these people really piss me off, as you couldn't meet two nicer guys than Matt and Freddie. In addition, Freddie, like me, is essentially a geek fan boy. He's got every episode of Scooby on tape, and he's an enormous comic book fan. Freddie's got an amazing sense of humor and timing, Sarah's wonderful, and Linda Cardellini is incredible. Isla Fisher, who plays Shaggy's love interest, is also great. Rowan Atkinson is a pleasure to watch. Is that enough smoke up their asses? Seriously, though, I'm thoroughly pleased with the cast.
As far as Raja goes, I'm stoked. Nothing rattles him, and on a film this size that's an important quality. He's got a great sense of humor, and a marvelous eye. The movie really moves and flows well.
While I'm at it, I also need to tip my hat to Bill Boes, the production designer on the film. This guy is fucking amazing. Writers are always going around bitching about how we don't get enough credit for a final film, but what about production designers? This guy created the whole look of the movie, and how often is he brought up? He's great.
Have these protests had any real effect on the production, and do you think there was any possible way to have avoided them?
No, the criticisms (nor the praisings) haven't affected the production. We already knew we were dealing with a holy object here. I don't know if there was any way or need to avoid them.
How did you write your revision of the Doo screenplay? Were there any voices in your head saying, "You need to do this," or, "You need to avoid this?"
I don't think I felt like I needed to do anything. Atlas and Warners gave me full reign. However, I was, of course, impelled to keep certain conventions -- certain aspects of Scooby-Doo needed to be addressed: The castles, the unmaskings, the catch-phrases, the food addictions, the celebrity guests, etc.
When writing dialogue, did you imagine live-action actors saying them, or did you envision the old cartoon versions talking?
I imagined live-action actors, but with the souls of the cartoon versions.
What were the influences for your work on this script?
Oh, I'd say Ghostbusters more than anything else. I also loved the movie Galaxy Quest, which had the big story and humor but the tenderness as well. Oh, and Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein, which was my favorite movie as a little kid -- it was both scary as crap and hilarious (well, to me at six years old, anyway). My relationship with my dog, Aubrey, also influenced me. I really wanted to express the tenderness in the relationship between Shag and Scoob.
How much time did you spend on the set of Scooby Doo?
I was traveling back and forth between the US and Australia during the entire shoot as well as before the shoot. I would write while I was there, as well as do a lot of gambling with Linda Cardellini. I'd also write on a daily basis while over here, coming up with little gags, lines, crap like that.
What are some of the notions you got of the other people working on it?
I never read Craig Titley's or Jay Kogen's drafts, so I don't know. John August worked on a few scenes while I was away on my honeymoon. He helped me to think outside of the box I had been trapped in for more than a year. He was great.
What are your impressions of the cast's take on the characters, and the director's take on the film?
My impression on the movie is one of balance, a balance I hoped for all along. I'm really not a fan of the Flintstones movie, because it's too cartoony for my taste. Likewise, I don't love movies like The Mod Squad which seemingly have nothing to do with the original show. For me, it was all about balance: Lillard's the perfect example of this, because he's somehow able to sound exactly like Shaggy and yet he's a real person at the same time. I hope the movie's like that all the way through -- Scooby-Doo and Mystery Ink are Scooby-Doo and Mystery Ink as we know them, yet they also have real problems and the real strengths and weaknesses and loves that come from entering the three-dimensional world. Also, Scooby-Doo has elements of a horror movie, which is great. When I was a little kid I loved horror movies -- I was a freak for the old Universal films. Yet there are very few scary movies that are rated PG today.
Need to know - is Sarah Michelle Gellar that gorgeous in real life, as well?
Yes.
Tromeo & Juliet, The Specials and, judging from my draft, Scooby Doo seem to follow the same pattern - films that are respectful to their source materials (Shakespeare, comic books in general, and a cult TV show) that nonetheless have an irreverent take on them. Is that the "James Gunn Style" that people hire you for? What is your take on the themes that seem to reoccur in your scripts?
I don't know. I truthfully think people hire me because they think I'm funny and I'm something different. I don't really go into something writing it with "The James Gunn Style" -- quite the opposite, I'm constantly trying to challenge myself by doing something new. If I'm obsessed with any themes it's probably that of the conflict between innocence and corruption, as well as the conflict between fiction and truth -- things which are probably dealt with more overtly in The Toy Collector than anything else. I also definitely have a love of genre films (the B-Movie, the Hollywood Spectacle, the western, the horror film) as well as a desire to reinterpret their conventions. Howard Hawks is one of my idols because he was able to tackle so many different genres with such respect for, yet without being ruled by, the form. I'm probably attracted to subjects with certain conventions to be played with because of this (whether the conventions be the sex, violence, and bad puns of a Troma movie, or the ghosts, castles, and sandwiches of a Scooby-Doo TV show).
If you were (or are) inclined to try writing different types of stories, what do you think you would want to do?
Well, I'm finishing up my anti-romantic comedy, The Newlyweds, for Warners, and I'm onto a new horror film somewhere else, which I'm not able to discuss presently, but I'm very, very excited about. I definitely want to do a Western someday. Perhaps my favorite all time film is Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West.
Tromeo & Juliet is probably the most critically acclaimed film in Troma history. How did that project get started?
I was a performance artist attending school in New York, and I got hooked up with Lloyd Kaufman, the president of Troma. I needed a job and I thought Troma might be an interesting place to work. I seriously thought I might get a job filing papers or something. But Lloyd read some of my stuff, and he offered me 150 bucks to write a movie called Tromeo & Juliet, based on the Shakespeare play. I did so in a week, and the rest is history.
Did you have any idea it would receive such a warm reception?
Tromeo was a huge risk. I would take a subway to the set every day and I kept thinking, "I can't believe Lloyd is letting us make something so utterly fucked up." I was sure that I was going to be eventually found out and turned into a pariah. I felt very good while I was making the movie, however, like it was something unique. I had good feelings about it. Unlike many other Troma movies, the feelings on set were pretty nice as well -- some of my best friends are people from that film -- Lloyd, for instance. Jane Jensen (Juliet) and Stevie Blackehart (Benny) were both in my wedding party recently.
And are there any plans to return to the studio for other projects in the future?
Actually, I have a small role in Citizen Toxie, and have also made some appearances on Troma's TV show on the BBC. I'm always willing to hang out and play with Lloyd and Troma whenever I get the chance. Troma is the petri dish out of which I grew.
What kind of film can we expect from 13 Ghosts? Will it take itself completely seriously as a horror film, or can we expect the same irreverent humor that fills the other films in which you've had a hand? Will it bear any similarities to the remake of The House on Haunted Hill?
The humor is irreverent in 13 Ghosts, but not as campy as The House on Haunted Hill. I was hired for a couple weeks, and haven't even seen the final shooting script, so I don't know! I hear it's good, though.
In The Specials you had a memorable acting turn as Minute Man - did you always want to play that character yourself?
Originally, The Specials were going to be played by me and my brothers, and I was going to play the Strobe. But, as time went on, Rob became involved and the cast got a bit older and it just wasn't believable for me to play the elder statesmen, so Miramax (who had the rights at the time) got me to play Minute Man. It was actually a larger role at the time, so I was cool with it. The only brother who stayed on for the whole trip was my brother Sean, who played Alien Orphan.
Are you planning on actively pursuing other careers in the industry - acting, directing, etc.?
Acting is a blast to me, and a chance to work with my body as opposed to just my mind. I do it whenever it pops up. I'm definitely going to direct within the next year, but it has to be a project that is going to keep me going for a long time.
And why is it so hard to find The Specials on DVD anywhere?
Because our distributor sucks?
Finally, I write a column that is devoted to raising public awareness of films that are over-looked, under-rated or ignored. Are there any films along these lines you would like to recommend that our readers take a look closer at?
Well, I have no idea how esoteric you're looking for... but... Once Upon a Time in the West -- it's a crime that it's not on DVD. I love Hong Kong early nineties films, including Fong Sai Yuk. Red to Kill is a Hong Kong movie that is probably the most fucked up movie ever made. A great Z-movie on Something Weird DVD is The Curious Dr. Humpp (not exactly a quality production, but definitely unusual). Sam Fuller's The Naked Kiss rocks! I love Russ Myer's Mudhoney, which is the perfect example of taking a genre (sexploitation) and creating something quality within it. There are certain movies I can watch again and again, which may or may not be underrated...Bottle Rocket, Groundhog Day, Galaxy Quest, Spinal Tap. I love British films from the Social realist period in the early '60's -- Room at the Top, Taste of Honey. From the '90's? -- Life is Sweet, Daytrippers, most of the Hal Hartley movies, Safe, Fallen Angels (probably my favorite Wong Kar Wai flick), Naked Lunch, Dead Alive, Miami Blues, The Rapture, Tree's Lounge... Those are off the top of my head. I'm sure I'll think of twenty more in the next hour.
Well, there you have it… Hollyfeld's first every celebrity interview. I'd like to thank James Gunn once again for being so cool about answering some questions and voicing his opinions TNMC and wish him the best of luck on Doo, The Newlyweds, his mysterious new horror film (which I too am now very excited about) and all his future endeavors. Thanks a lot.
And thank YOU for reading this first edition of The Hollyfeld Reporter.
James Gunn's Official Website: www.jamesgunn.com