Part 3: Timeline and thoughts on Smallville
How close is Timeline to starting production? We’re in preproduction .Because of what we thought was going to be a strike here, we got delayed a whole year. And I can’t shoot. It takes place in Europe and I can’t shoot and it’s all exteriors. So, I can’t shoot until the Spring in Europe, otherwise I’m into a rainy season and four hours of daylight. So, because of this proposed strike I lost a whole year of my life, so we’ll start preparing it by October and shoot it starting the end of February.
How does the script compare to the book? It’s the essence of the book. It’s the reason you wanted to make the movie. Characters have come to life a little different. We had to obviously size down a tremendous amount. In so doing, we lost a couple of people, but is it true to the book? I think cinematically if you read the book and then you see the movie, you’re going to come away and not be disappointed.
Have you cast anyone yet? We have one person set so far, Gerard Butler. He’s a Scottish actor. He’s been in Dracula 2000 and Atilla the Hun. He’s a fascinating new guy and he’s going to play Merrick. He’s the only one set so far. [Since this interview, Paul Walker has also been cast].
Which characters got left out of the script? I don’t want to say.
Are there any other DVDs you’d like to do? You just gave it to me, Radio Flyer. And there’s another movie I love desperately called Inside Moves.
Having done DVDs for Warner Brothers and Fox, is there a difference between the studios?No, they’re all very much the same.
Have you had a chance to see the trailer for Smallville? No, who’s doing that?
The WB network. Warner Brothers is doing Clark Kent in high school? Oh, that’s right. I do know that but I didn’t see any of it. That’s a smart idea. Why didn’t I think of that? We used to sit and talk about that all the time, about what it would be like to be that character and know what he can do and yet can’t do it.
In this show, he doesn’t know about his powers yet. That’s good. But then where was he the first 12 years of his life? By the time he’s in Junior High he know who he is and you should play that, the fact that he knows who he is and he can’t admit to it and he’s got really a schizophrenic.
In the pilot, his parents tell him what’s going on. What happened to the last 13 or 14 years?
Uh, I guess they haven’t manifested yet. Bullsh*t. He held the truck up [in Superman: The Movie]!
On that note, Donner went to finish packing .