Patrick Lussier is one of today’s most interesting filmmakers. He’s best known as an editor – and has worked on most of Wes Craven’s latter films, including “Scream” and “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare” – but he’s now making a name for himself as one of the best horror directors in the business (“Dracula 2000”, “The Prophecy 3”). His latest film is the spooky sequel, “White Noise : The Light” starring Nathan Fillion and Katee Sackhoff. YOU asked him about it… and more.
Q. From Mark, Bristol : Why did you choose Nathan Fillion to star in “White Noise : The Light”? Can you tell us some of the other actors you briefly considered for the part?
A.Patrick : To be honest there were no other actors we considered for Nathan’s role. We talked about a few in the ‘what if we don’t get Nathan?’ category, but Nathan was who I suggested on my first meeting with the producers. They had just finished working with Nathan on SLITHER and loved him. I wanted to work with him again for years since working with him back in 2000. Luckily he said ‘yes’ when we came calling.
Q. From Jan, Seattle : How HOT is Nathan Fillion in real life?
A. Patrick : Very. Especially if we’re shooting outside in a surprisingly hot April day, a scene that follows a scene we shot on the 2nd day of the shoot back in March when it was freezing. For continuity he’s wearing a huge coat and several layers. He was very hot. (And yes… he is hot in the way you mean as well.)
Q. From Dawn Summers : How had Nathan changed since you last worked with him on “Dracula 2000”?
A. Patrick : We were both six years older but beyond that he was the same incredibly pleasant, professional and amazing human he was then. Possibly even more talented if that’s possible.
Q. From Teabag, Chicago : Yo, Question for Patrick! What’s up with the straight to DVD release of “White Noise 2” in the states? Why would they do that?
A. Patrick : As of me writing this there the release of the film has not been determined by Rogue. When I last spoke to the heads of the studio they had not committed either way. Why would they go straight to DVD, if they decided to do so? Well… that’s a very political question and has to do with how much they think the film might make versus how much it costs to release a film theatrically. It also is determined by how much money they have on hand for releasing not just this but all the films on their slate. It doesn’t reflect on the film itself, regardless of what you might think. So whether or not the film is theatrical or DVD has not been determined for a variety of reason as of this moment, Feb14th at 1:30 pm, 2007. Regardless of how it shows up, I hope people seek it out to see something different from both Nathan and Katee who are so great in the film.
Q. From Paul : Patrick, can you tell us some of the other sequels you have been approached to direct over the years?
A. Patrick : Interesting question… to be honest I haven’t really been approached by many sequels other than the ones I’ve done. There was some talk of the MIMIC sequel at one time but that swung into Dracula 2000 and the chaos that ensued from that.
Q. From Ynez : Dear Mr Lussier, I am a great fan of the “Scream” series. I did love your work on those. I have heard rumours of a fourth movie. Do you think there should be one? Do you think there will be one?
A. Patrick : Thanks so much. I’m thrilled you enjoyed the work. Those films were a pleasure to work on and Wes Craven is such a master storyteller he makes it very easy to cut. Regarding a 4th… I know they were talking about it back in 2005 but since then I haven’t heard anything.
Q. From Madonna’s Mole : Dear Patrick, I would like to ask about your feeling on all these horror remakes. I mean, could you imagine someone remaking say, “A Nightmare on Elm Street”?
A. Patrick: Horror remakes are, for the most part, about cashing in on a brand name. People have heard of the original, maybe even seen it, which helps (theoretically) with the sale of the remake. I couldn’t imagine remaking “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, no. That’s a benchmark film. Nor could I see anyone remaking “The Exorcist” (although it was almost done as a TV movie back in 1999 by the director of the original “White Noise”). But there are some films that could be remade… films that have a great idea but maybe weren’t as well executed as they could have been at the time they were originally made. Remake a bad movie with a good idea, not a good movie and certainly not a great movie.
Q. From Craig : Hi, have you got any stories to tell about your experience working on the “Scream” trilogy and have you been asked back for the fourth movie?
A. Patrick : When we were working on the first film, none of us really knew that it would become the phenomenon it became. We knew it was a good mystery and that there were great performances. We just weren’t positive that it was as scary as it proved to be. The first preview audience to screen the film showed us that. Two minutes in when the killer says “I want to know who I’m looking at…” the entire audience, 400 or more people in New Jersey all reacted in unison. Right then we knew the film was going to work. As far as I know the 4th is nothing more than a rumour at this time. I’m pretty sure Wes wouldn’t be involved anyway so it’s very unlikely that I’d be involved.
Q. From Tosia 😉 : Hi Patrick, I met you once before, and you look so young for someone that has been in the business as long as you have. What is you secret for youthful looking skin?
A. Patrick : Tosh, I’m still waiting for my skin to clear up. That and the sleeping in Tupperware helps.
Q. From Jason Warner : What’s your opinion of the current wave of “torture porn” horror films that are taking in more money then not at the box office? I personally think the genre is in a weak spot right now due in part to this so I wanted to get your own perspective on it.
A. Patrick : Horror movies are cyclical like anything else. The ‘torture porn’ movies as you call them, seem to be a resurgence of the early seventies movies that were similar in tone and style. Theorists may argue that those films were a product of the Vietnam War and attitudes towards life etc, at that time. You could argue that the current global climate is in a similar place, perhaps leading to a repeat in this sub-genre of horror. The most important thing to keep any type of film going is story. As the stories of these films get weaker then interest in them will wane. When the recent trend started, perhaps with SAW leading the charge, they seemed fresher and had more to say. Now as more people are merely cashing in, well, your judgement seems accurate. But all it will take is someone to create one with a fantastic story to keep it alive.
Q. From Man of Destiny : Hey Patrick, I must say that one of my favorite takes on the ‘Dracula’ mythology came when I saw your film, ‘Dracula 2000’. I thought it was very creative take on the Dracula legend and it’s been my favorite film that you have worked on. The entire trilogy I thought was very bad ass and I my question is wether or not there are plans to go back and shoot more films? I felt that the third part wrapped Dracula’s story quite well but having a character like Father Uffizi in the mix leaves fans of the series wanting more.
A. Patrick : No plans to shoot any more Drac Pack movies as of now. Joel Soisson and I had talked about the continued adventures of Uffizi but after Dimension essentially dumped the last film and so many others (Hellraisers, Prophecys etc) when they left Disney there seemed to be little interest from those who finance such things to continue. It’s a shame as we had discussed a series for Uffizi that would’ve been incredible. But that’s just how it goes. If things change, maybe.
Q. From Johnny Ooze : Wassup Patrick. Can you give us an update on “Headhunter” and tell us what other filmz are in your future?
A. Patrick : We have the 2nd draft of the script from Wil Zmak and are currently out to distributors looking to find the balance of the financing. Wil’s done an amazing job with a very tricky adaptation. The movie will be incredible when we put all the pieces together. Beyond that I’m working on a few other projects that are at various stages. We’ll see which one edges to the starting gate but right now that’s all I can say.
Q. From Tom : Joel Schumacher is apparently angry because Warner Bros are making a direct-to-video sequel to “The Lost Boys”. How would it make you feel if one of your films, like “Dracula 2000”, was done as a sequel without your involvement?
A. From Patrick : It would depend on the intent of those involved. A fresh eye could be interesting and might take the story in directions none of us who developed the original had thought of. If it’s a lesser grade rehash, then maybe it’d bug me. But ultimately, if you don’t own it then it’s not for you to say what happens with it.
Q. From Bradley Fans : You worked on the “Hellraiser” short film, “No More Souls”. Do you know anything about the “Hellraiser” remake? Is that something you’d be interested in doing?
A. Patrick : I worked on “No More Souls” for Gary Tunnicliffe, who is an amazing friend and has been a gifted collaborator for years. It was a real pleasure to do that for him. But beyond that I’m pretty out of the loop on the “Hellraiser” world. I’m not sure what remaking that series would bring to it.
Q. From Katherine Turlich : Hey, What was it about Katee Sackhoff that made you want to cast her in “WN2”?
A. Patrick : My son and I are huge Galactica fans. I just love Katee’s performance in the show. When we were talking about casting Sherry for WHITE NOISE: THE LIGHT, we kept talking about Katee as the archetype for the role. We finally figured that we should just send it to her. She read it right away, we met and two days later we offered her the part. Katee embodied both the strength and the vulnerability that we needed for the character. She really delivered an amazing performance, grounding the film with such heart, something that’s missing from a lot of genre films these days.
[b]Q. From Shell Chang : You’ve worked with Nathan Fillion twice now. Is there anyone else that you have already worked with that you’d like to work with again?
A. Patrick : Sure – I’ve been so fortunate to work with so many talented actors. I’d love to work with Katee again. And Gerry (Gerard) Butler is so talented and such a great person. He’d be great to work with. Christopher Walken and Omar Epps too. Ultimately, I’ve loved working with all the casts I’ve had. If the right part came along I wouldn’t hesitate to go to any of them.[/b]
Q. From Whedonfan01 : Can I get Nathan Fillion’s phone number off you?
A. Patrick : No.
Q. From Tracey Clarkson, Coburg : Will you work with Nathan Fillion again, after this? Can I suggest…. A “Starman” remake?
A. Patrick : Starman? An interesting idea. But that really goes against the remake a movie with a good idea as opposed to remaking a good, or even great movie. I loved the original “Starman.” Carpenter did a superb job with that film and with the performances of Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen. Nope… I wouldn’t touch it. I’m more than happy to watch it on DVD. But yeah… I’d love to work with Nathan again. He’s such an incredible performer in every way and just a fantastic human. Not enough like him around. I’d consider myself more than lucky to work with him again.
Q. Trevor asks : Was it ever a consideration to have Michael Keaton in the movie?
A. Patrick : Michael, and I don’t think I’m spoiling anything, doesn’t survive the first film. It was never discussed bringing him into this story in any way, whether it was as a ghost or whatever. We did, at one time, have his face in newspaper clipping but we cut it out in the end. The scene was in the middle of the film and when the clipping came up the audience essentially said, ‘hey that’s Michael Keaton’. It took them out of the film so we snipped it.
Q. Lobo asks : Are you involved at all in the “Shocker” remake? I know you worked with Wes Craven, so I thought you might be.
A. Patrick : I’ve heard they’re remaking that but I don’t know any details. Wes’ original is a lot of fun, especially the end of the film. It’d be interesting to see what they do with it now that the visual effects technology has advanced so much. If Wes is involved, then I’m sure it’ll be brilliant.