Heres what the very warm, generous Drew Goddard had to say.
The Martians very much a feel-good survival movie, isnt it?
The Mark Watney characters so upbeat, which really transforms the tone of the story.
Ad content continues below
Thats really in the book.
That optimisms all on the page, and its something I really responded to.
I love science fiction, but this felt like an opportunity to do something different.
What was the process of adaptation like, because obviously the books long and complex.
And also youre cutting between three locations.
The big challenge was, the books just really good.
So at the end of the day, I had to make some tough decisions.
There are some scenes in the book that I just love, but we didnt have time for them.
Again, we should all be so lucky to have so much good stuff to choose from.
I read in another interview that you sawAlienwhen you were very young.
Yeah,AlienandBlade Runner.Both of those.
So what was it like to finally meet the engineer of all that childhood trauma?
[Laughs] I dont know.
I guess it keeps coming out in everything I do!
Its fun, you know?
To have Ridley here and pick his brain about the trauma he inflicted on me over the years!
So you told him about it?
In this film, that defiance is a positive.
And youre right; so much of it is the struggle to stay alive.
Its inBlade Runner,its inAlien, its inThelma and Louise.I dont know if he even realises it.
I think thats sometimes the thing with directors sometimes they just respond at a gut level to a story.
Also, hes a very optimistic man when you hang out with him.
But its funny, because now I watch the movie, I think, Thats your personality!
I sometimes wonder whether he shares Mark Watneys work ethic as well.
Ridleys an incredibly hard worker isnt he?
And theres a faith in it, if that makes sense.
If you do the work, then the work will save you.
I certainly see that.
Ive never seen anyone work more than Ridley.
At one time, you were going to direct, werent you?
Look, I couldnt be happier with the movie.
I think its the best combination of all of us that got to work on it.
We worked together well.
Its hard to even think of the movie being any different now that Ive seen it.
Frustratingly,Cabin In The Woodstook ages to come out.
Then there wasSinister Six,which for one reason or another, simply hasnt happened.
How frustrating is that creatively, for you as a writer and director?
Well, Ive picked a very volatile business.
I think Im very lucky, given that Ive got more made than most people do.
The tough part is that I love all these things.
Ive loved every project Ive ever worked on.
You learn to be patient; withCabin, I knew sooner or later that it would work out.
Do you thinkSinister Sixmight resurface?
Ive learned in Hollywood to never say never.
Its a project I loved, so well see.
Going right back to the beginning of your career, you started as a staff writer onBuffyandAngel.
Do you think that was a good grounding for you in terms of learning the craft of storytelling?
Theres no better place than that.
Youre doing a lot of reps.
I look back, I cant believe it sometimes.
I couldnt have landed in the better spot.
What was it like to work onLost, because it was so big-budget and so labyrinthine.
I was only on it for four seasons, but it was great.
We liked our small corner, but thenLostexploded, you know?
It was fun withLostbecause of that.
We can actually push things, and do a crazy time travel story.
It gave us all faith that we continue to do this on a larger scale.
Do you think those shows you worked on helped bring in the current golden age of television were experiencing?
The notion that TV can be cinematic?
The truth is, if you went back, TVs always been pretty cinematic.
You didnt have eight days to cut, you know?
That was certainly our influence onAngelin particular.
I remember Joss saying, lets push it visually.
It was exciting to be able to do that.
Do you think theres more room to innovate in TV than in film for certain projects?
It was very gratifying for all of us.
Because the comics are very dark.
The thing about Marvel is, as a comics company, it has a wide range of stuff.
They have stuff thats for kids, they have stuff thats for adults.
It doesnt have to be one or the other we can have both.
It was fun to push it a little darker.
Youre working on season two, arent you.
If people liked season one, theyre really going to like season two.
Were really pushing it.
[Laughs]
Do you think thatll feed back into Marvels cinematic output?
Could we see a more adult Marvel movie in the future, do you think?
Look, its to Marvels credit that theyre not playing it safe.
They could do that for 20 years and theyd be fine.
But that was bold.
At the time, I was like, Youre making a movie about a talking raccoon and a tree?
Its nice to see them still taking chances.
Do you think youd get involved with directing a Marvel film?
They know what a fan I am of theirs.
Its just a case of finding the right project.
Some directors dont necessarily thrive in that environment, though, working collaboratively with producers.
Some seem to find it frustrating.
Yeah, I can understand that.
But its true of every project, not just Marvel its all about the right alchemy.
To me, it comes down to, do I love the characters?
If I love the characters, then well figure it out.
The thing I know about Marvel is, they love the characters.
Like onDaredevil,we all love Matt Murdoch, so we figure out the best story.
Its when you dont love the characters that you get in trouble you get cynical.
You make cynical decisions.
Were all coming from a place of love, so it tends to work itself out.
What do you think about the state of the genre now?
Its finding new voices in horror, new angles isnt it?
The thing aboutThe Babadookwas that it was about a taboo subject a womans strained relationship with her young son.
Yeah, and the nature of grief.
Thats where the metaphor is more powerful than any of the plot, you know?
Thats what youre looking for, man.
I loved that movie, man.
Not sinceThe Exorcisthas a movie had such a powerful metaphor.
That captured the soul of a human being.
Its more than just a horror plot.
What was your approach toThe Martian?
Very similar to that.
I read the book several times, just to let it get into my DNA.
Then, the same thing: I went through with a highlighter.
And it was far too long.
I had to trim it down.
How long was the first draft, roughly?
Probably 180 [pages], which is just too long.
But I like to start from a longer place and cut down.
Was there anything non-spoilery that you wanted to put in but couldnt?
Its this beautiful journey in the book.
Its him confronting his existential state.
So you have to make these decisions.
The good news is its in the book, so its always there.
Whats the secret of a great book to film adaptation?
Does that affect how you work?
I think it can.
Ive done two adaptations now.
I said to Andy, Listen, I love this book.
I tried to explain all the things I loved about it.
Then I had to go away and make a good movie.
My job isnt just to take the book and karaoke it for the screen.
You have to make hard decisions.
I said, We wont do it without your blessing.
To his credit, he totally got it.
Youve got to be fearless about adaptation, otherwise you get a boring movie.
It was more about what I had to cut than what I had to invent.
If it happened now, the web uproar would be deafening.
If the movies good, there wont be an uproar.
Or a minor uproar.
If the movies no good, theyll be a real uproar.
My favorite adaptation of all time isTrainspotting.
Everything thats in that movie is in the book.
But they did a beautiful job of finding these moments and connecting it all together.
I remember at the time people were saying it was unadaptable.
Its true that cinema and literature are two very different things.
Part of the challenge is, the books told from a first-person point of view.
A guy whos all by himself.
Thats hard, you know?
You cant have too much voice-over.
That would just be weird.
Thats where casting someone like Matt Damon makes it a lot easier.
Because all of that complicated emotion just comes through the screen.
Good Will Huntings an obvious one to go back to hes good at portraying intelligence without seeming above everybody.
That was key, finding an actor who could do that without lording it over the audience.
Theres an effortless intelligence about Matt that comes through that is crucial to the character.
I really liked the way the film uses his video diaries as a way of using those first-person passages.
That was the challenge, because we needed him to talk.
So it almost became the audience hes talking to rather than giving him a volley ball or something.
[cries plaintively] Wilson!
The audience becomes Wilson for us.
Because of that, its an intense connection the audience feels with Matt.
What you said about not having too much narration, that reminds me of Spike JonzesAdaptation.
You know, the scene with Robert McKee.
Dont you dare use a voice-over in your work!
Believe me, I watchAdaptationand I get panic attacks.
[Laughs] But that goes with the territory I suppose.
Youre adaptingRobopocalypseas well, for Spielberg.
These things are all about timing.
Im not sure when its going to happen.
But itll be awesome when it does, thats for sure.
Do you think youll hang around with Ridley Scott and do some more stuff?
Its all about finding the the right project.
Believe me, nothing would make me happier than to work with Ridley for the rest of my career.
Well, he has three morePrometheusfilms in the pipeline for one thing.
The good news with Ridley is, that man likes to work.
Hes always shooting, so you dont have to worry about him taking a couple of years off.
I do sometimes wonder where he finds his energy.
Ive never seen anything like it.
I have half his energy, and hes twice my age!
Its really inspiring to be around him, for sure.
I read somewhere that theres a possibility of a secondCabin In The Woods.
The studio wants to do it.
Theyve come to us.
The funny part is, I dont think we planned that movie to do a sequel you know?
It doesnt exactly leave a lot of open ends, does it?
But that being said, the fun thing aboutCabinis, the rules are pretty crazy.
We get away with a lot of crazy stuff.
So Im sure we could figure it out if we got inspired to.
With a sequel, wed only do it if it made us laugh hard enough, I suppose.
So it isnt at a stage where you have concrete ideas for it.
Yeah, we dont know.
Theres nothing in the hopper right now, but who knows?
That was a strange one.
It was a very strange one.
It was fun, getting to work with Brad [Pitt] and Marc Forster.
When you get to the point where you have Brad Pitt fighting zombies, lifes pretty good.
It was an interesting ending.
It ran counter to what most writers might do, which is for the film to keep building.
You cant go bigger than that.
Lets go smaller and more intimate.
That worked out pretty well.
But look man, that was just circumstance.
Do you know what youre doing next?
Im writing my next project on spec.
Hopefully when Im done, theyll let me do it.
What do you think about Blumhouse Productions, and what theyre doing with horror and giving filmmakers creative freedom?
I really like it.
They know their audience, they know how to make movies and release them quick.
I certainly like that aesthetic, Lets roll up our sleeves and put on a show.
Theyve got that spirit, which is fun.
They get some great work out of established directors as well as new ones.
I think the recent Blumhouse is so successful is because Blum loves horror.
Each studio head, because it comes down from the top, theyve got to make what they love.
The lesson we could all take from Blumhouse is, do what you love.
He clearly loves horror.
Its not, Lets go make money off of this.
It comes from a real place of love.
Do you think Marvel, or Warner with DC, could they make a $10 million superhero movie?
I think the smaller ones are going to end up on TV.
Like, Matt fights real crime on the streets.
Hes not saving the world.
Theres no demons falling from the sky for him to fight.
Thats how it should be.
In a weird sort of way, cheap superhero films dont really fit the pattern of what is successful.
Theyre these big summer events.
But the good news is, there are outlets.
Youll find the right home.
But believe me, no one would love a cheap, gritty superhero movie more than me.
That would be awesome!
The thing about bothDaredevilandThe Martianis that theyre a reminder that small stakes are often much better.
We dont have to have the whole world at stake.
I think certainly, in this day and age, Ive seen a lot of worlds get destroyed.
Now, at least for me, I start getting tired of it.
Because I cant really relate.
Its not something I see in my daily life, worlds getting destroyed.
But I do understand guys trying to keep their neighborhood clean.
That was certainly my instinct with Matt inDaredevil.
Hes got his little corner of the city and hes trying to do his best.
And I responded to that, for sure.
Drew Goddard, thank you very much.
The Martianis out in theaters on Friday (October 2).
