The one that appeared in issue 92, however, was a little different.

Wanted: Sombody to go back in time with me, the ad read.

This is not a joke.

Yeah, well it all came from that classified ad, which is a real thing.

It existed on the internet for a number of years before we got close to it.

And we just got so depressed.

We were like, This is over, we dont want to do this.

Derek, instead, started thinking.

He thought, Okay, this has brand awareness.

This is kind of an upcoming brand in a way, on the internet.

So this is Dereks version ofBattleship.

[Laughs]

Right!

Did you ever see the documentaryWinnebago Man?

Its great if you get a chance.

Theres a relationship in that movie that was very similar to this.

I was just some Hollywood douche bag coming to ruin his story.

Everywhere he goes, hes always strapped.

He had a gun when we met for lunch.

So everything about this movie was put together in a very earnest, non-cynical way.

So we tried to stick with that.

So how important were the Duplass brothers in getting this made?

Were they fairly instrumental in getting backing together?

You know, they really put it over the top.

Two things were crucial.

One is their name Big Beach was really interested in working with them, and so it helped.

For Big Beach, that was enough reassurance it was a pretty low-risk investment for them.

I mean, everythings a risk, but compared to other things, it was pretty low-risk.

Did that pace mean there was a lot of improvisation on the shoot?

We shot the script, and most of what you see is the script.

And wed have this extra moment, where Mark asks Aubrey whats her favourite song.

She saysOver The Rainbow.

Thats just a question he asked unprompted, and she gave her actual answer.

Its interesting, because there have been a few really great, character-driven sci-fi movies.

Its almost a new strand of indie sci-fi were seeing lately.

I think thats a coincidence, actually.

I think a lot of these filmmakers are of a similar age.

And the way the people interact and families interact inPoltergeistandE.T.

they were very grounded, very real.

For us, were used to sci-fi existing in our real world.

As you said earlier,Safetyis a romantic comedy at heart, isnt it?

Id say its more of a romance at heart, but its funny.

Its a sci-fi film, its a romance, its a romance, its funny throughout.

We ended up with this thing that was its own new weird little hybrid of other things.

So out of our own ignorance for what you should and shouldnt do, you get this!

I wondered if you could tell me what that was.

But unfortunately, it left us with a girl who has a guys name.

I hope it catches on.

The guy that works with Kenneth, and she gives him the money to help his wife?

That guys names Shannon, so I think Derek had a thing for giving people an opposite gender name!

And there may have been 50 ways you could have done that.

And [Safety] is absolutely Derek Connolly, start to finish every single line of dialogue.

I just really wanted to honour his vision.

So I understand you might be going on to doFlight Of The Navigatornext?

That is right, yes.

Its not going to be next, but its something were going to be writing a script for.

All were trying to do is find a story that we care about and will work.

Our question is not, what is theFlight Of The Navigatorremake, its why isFlight Of The Navigatorbeing remade.

That must be difficult, to try and find a new angle on the story.

And theres other layers to it, and building any story is hard.

Theres almost a freedom to be building something from scratch.

There are a lot of different elements in play when youre remaking something people care about.

Can you imagine applying the same indie atmosphere toNavigatorthat you brought toSafety Not Guaranteed?

Thats something you really have to struggle against.

Theres another original that Derek and I wrote for Disney, which were really excited about.

Nobody wants to make a badFlight Of The Navigatorremake.

Theres just no interest.

Were going to do it if its good.

So you must have been totally bemused, then, by theStar Warsrumours that were flying around the internet.

Yeah, that was an interesting couple of weeks.

Thats such a loaded statement, and not something that I said.

And I certainly didnt want that kind of misinformation to be attributed to me.

Because I dont want people to think Im out there pulling strings on this thing.

I dont have a PR rep.

I live in Vermont.

Its just me on my computer, seeing these things catch fire.

But I tell you, man, Im every bit as aStar Warsfan as anyone else.

And I deeply understand why were all so caught up in this right now.

I think it goes beyond just the making of another movie.

Its because this is about a guy whos not quite left his childhood behind.

It means a lot.

It means a lot to a lot of people.

So what can you tell me about what youre working on next?

Is there much it’s possible for you to say about it?

It takes place around the Office for Outer Space Affairs at the U.N., which is a real thing.

They claim that this office is for regulating the uses of outer space between nations.

The conspiracy theory is that theyre preparing an ambassador to represent Earth when first contact is made.

So were telling a story thats not about that ambassador, but is in that world.

Colin Trevorrow, thank you very much.

Safety Not Guaranteedis out in UK cinemas on the 26th December.