Its a beautiful day out here Green said.
Im down in South Carolina working on this HBO show me and Danny [McBride] are doing.
Is thatEastbound And Down?
Ad content continues below
Fantastic!
There have been some rumours that this will be the third and final season ofEastbound.
Is that really the case?
Because I really like the gig.
And the other thing youve worked with Danny McBride on, of course, isYour Highness.
People are feeling the wrath!
We worked really hard on it.
It was a labour of love, strangely.
You clearly have a lot of affection for a lot of 80s fantasy movies.
Was that a decision you made at the start of the process?
There was definitely a script that we all adhered to, but we had such an interesting cast.
The movie definitely reflects the script, but I never want to use that as gospel.
Im not the kind of director who uses the script as a blueprint.
But there was an awful lot of improv, and some parts that werent.
It was definitely part of the process.
What was the shoot like?
It was quite brief, wasnt it, about three months?
It was a very difficult shoot.
We shot it in Northern Ireland, and we were always fighting the weather and the budget.
We didnt have any budget, and we were trying to make a big, effects-driven adventure movie.
We shot from the end of July to the end of October, a three month shoot.
We were overseas for a really long time.
So, they werent nervous, then, of some of the more adult elements in the film?
They were worried it was going to be a spoof of a fantasy movie.
There was definitely some hesitation to invest a lot of money in a send-up.
This was never going to be aMonty Pythonor a satire.
It was great to have them behind our madness.
With regard to Natalie Portman and James Franco, were they on board quite near the beginning?
Id donePineapple Expresswith Franco, so we had a friendship.
Lets cast really capable, dramatic actors, and they can do funny things.
I thought it would be funny to see Natalie play a very straight role to comedic effect.
BothYour HighnessandPineapple Expressare a departure into comedy for you as well, arent they?
Youre quite well known for more intimate dramas likeGeorge Washington, and that kind of thing.
What made you decide to make that jump?
Throughout my career, Id never made a movie that was commercially successful.
[laughs] So, I had no choice but to try something different.
Its really terrifying to make a comedy, because funny movies need people to laugh to be successful.
So, youre like a comic putting themselves on stage to get a reaction out of an audience.
Thats what a comedy film does.
It opens up the possibility of other genres.
Like, right now, Im preparing to do a horror film, which is exciting.
Ive got a couple of horror films Im trying to do.
Is thatSplatter Sistersyoure making at the moment?
Splatter Sistersis one Im producing, with Adam Lowe, and thatll be amazing.
Its a Marilyn Manson movie.
The film Im trying to get going now is a remake ofSuspiria, the Dario Argento movie.
Thatll be a lot of fun.
Ive written it with the sound designer, so weve really written it from a unique perspective.
Weve come at it not from a traditional narrative way, but from the perspective of sound.
Its a fun experiment for me, to see how it works out.
So, is Argento involved in any way?
Not really, other than giving his blessing to do it.
He gave us the property to reimagine and take in a new direction, which is great.
How does that fit in withThe Sitter, which is another comedy youve been making?
I finishedThe Sittera couple of days ago.
Its kind of a blend of drama and comedy.
And I understand theres another thing youve got on the go as well, calledBlackjack, with Ving Rhames.
Weve got a bunch of TV stuff going on.
Theyre all fun projects, in a lot of different arenas.
Animations a lot of fun, because Ive never done that before.
[laughs]
Thats a coincidence!
Yeah, hes literally sitting twenty feet away from me right now.
So, what happened to that project?
Is it something that would ever get off the ground?
When I was talking to him, he said that the time has passed.
We cant make it now.
Im really interested in that specific subject matter.
It was pretty profound, and one of the best scripts Ive ever read.
I just have to convince the writer to let me option it again so I can go make it.
[laughs]
Now, hes become more of a household name since.
Its just that now people think comedy when they hear the name Paul Rudd.
I met him, and I wanted to make the movie with him.
Youve mentioned in the past that Terence Malicks an influence on your filmmaking.
Did you seeTree Of Life?
I have seen it.
I adored it, in many ways.
I thought it was a beautiful insight into a filmmakers soul, and you dont get that a lot.
I admire the level of ambition and artistry in the way it takes the audience on a unique ride.
Its always been a real struggle.
Maybe Malick, and Michael Bay, and Gus Van Sant.
Very few guys are in that arena.
They make films that are uniquely theirs, and theyre not going to apologise for them.
Those are difficult films to make within the industry that we work in right now.
I know this from my own experience: getting any movie made is a miracle.
David Gordon Green, thank you very much.
