Joel Silver Interview
Producer Joel Silver was at the 2007 San Diego Comic Con to discuss a few projects including Whiteout with Kate Beckinsale, Speed Racer starring Emile Hirsch, and The Invasion featuring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.
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Transcript: Joel Silver Interview
Rebecca Murray from About.com Hollywood Movies at the 2007 San Diego Comic Con.
Producer Joel Silver - Whiteout, The Invasion, and Speed Racer
Talk to me about Whiteout, even though you have 87 movies here.
Joel Silver: "Whiteout is something really special. It's fresh; it's new. It was a graphic novel by Greg Rucka, and it's been around for a while. We got it about a year ago, and we got a script, a really good script to work with. And Dominic Sena who directed Swordfish for me a couple of years ago decided to direct it. And Kate Beckinsale is fantastic in the movie. We just finished shooting a few weeks ago, but we got a really great clip we're going to show here. It's an exciting picture."
How do you decide which comic books are going to transfer right onto the big screen and make that transition well?
Joel Silver: "I mean, if we're excited by the story and if we get a good script out of it, then we try to make it work. The Matrix wasn't really a comic book when it was made. The boys – the Wachowski Brothers – had written it as a comic book and then they decided to make it a script. Speed Racer isn't a comic book either exactly; it's an animated show. But depending where they come from, and if they feel right, and if people are excited about seeing them, and we can make a good movie out of it, we try to make it work."
Speed Racer, that's the one I'm looking forward to. How does it capture the tone of the original?
Joel Silver: "They really were very smart about it. I mean, they loved the show. They loved Speed Racer. For the Wachowski Brothers it was the first time they were aware of Japanese animation, and now they're huge fans of that. So it was really kind of important seminal work for them to understand. And they just loved it. They loved what it was, and they captured that but they made it into something you've never seen before. It's just incredible cast. It's a spectacular look and feel. They're in the middle of shooting right now. They're doing a fantastic."
And you've also got The Invasion.
Joel Silver: "That comes out in a few weeks, August 17th, and it's really exciting. It's Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, and it really feels creepy and scary and weird. But it's fresh and smart. I think it's a good movie."
What's the status of Wonder Woman?
Joel Silver: "It's just down the line. We don't have a script we like yet, but we're working on it. Hopefully we'll make it one day."
How do you remain so passionate about all these projects?
Joel Silver: "I love doing it. I love making movies. I love the process. It excites me, and I love being here and I love talking to you."
Joel Silver: "Well, there's a TV series on CBS called Moonlight starting in the fall on Thursdays at 9pm. It's genre fair. It's a detective vampire and it's pretty cool stuff. It's a good exciting story about a 90-year-old guy who looks pretty good, you know, with Alex O'Loughlin who was also in Whiteout - has a part in Whiteout. But it's exciting, too. All these things are happening and we're trying to make them all great."
And The Reaping DVD is coming out.
Joel Silver: "The DVD is coming out. We have a lot of extras on it. I mean, that was a good movie. I wish more people had seen it, but they can now on DVD. It really came out good. So it's a good DVD."
Do you think it was the release date being moved around that scared people?
Joel Silver: "I don't know. I mean, it was hard because… Hilary [Swank's] audience may not have wanted to see a movie like this. But I liked the movie and I think she did a great job."