Exclusives
Drew Goddard Talks ‘Cloverfield 2’ And ‘Robopocalypse’!
With the release of The Cabin In The Woods looming next month, I met up with Drew Goddard (the film’s director and co-writer) in Hollywood this afternoon for a lengthy chat.
While 95% of our conversation naturally centered around Cabin, we briefly touched on the status Cloverfield 2 and his screenplay for Steven Spielberg’s Robopocalypse. For those who need a refresher on the latter, it’s based on the book by Daniel H. Wilson which explores the fate of the human race following a robot uprising.
Also be sure to check out the rest of my interview with Goddard when it hits – I’ll be breaking it into two pieces. One will publish before the release of The Cabin In The Woods in the coming days/weeks. Then I’ve got a more spoiler heavy segment scheduled to hit after you’ve had a chance to see the film. He’s a smart, talented and enthusiastic guy and I think you’ll enjoy the read.
Hit the jump for the updates, which include Goddard’s thoughts on Cloverfield 2 possibly not being found-footage. You’ve got Robopocalypse coming up. How far along is that?
It’s in its process. It’s such a unique process with Steven because he has such resources and he’s able to visualize. He’s such a visual person. He’s doing tremendous work and the stuff his team has come up with is tremendous. I’m excited for people to see that finally.
Are you anywhere close to a shooting draft?
I think so. I’ve learned as a screenwriter that you never really know until it’s actually shooting. But I think the plan, last I heard, was to start in September. So up until then I’ll be tinkering.
And there’s always been talk about Cloverfield 2. Is that still happening?
I hope so. I mean, I’d like it to. Cloverfield was very much a dialogue between J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves and me. And you need those three parts. It’s just been hard because we’ve been busy. None of us wants to make a movie just for the sake of making a sequel. That’s just not interesting to us. I think we all have ideas of what we want to do, and they’re probably all different. But we need to sit down and get it together. I blame Star Trek.
As 33.3% of that creative unit, do you see it as another found footage film?
It’s a good question. I don’t know. If you’d asked me a year ago I would have said absolutely because I thought that was inherent to it. The thing about Cloverfield that was exciting was that it felt different, and we’d need to find whatever that is. We’d make it feel fresh and new, and if you asked each of us how we were going to do it we’d each have a different answer.
Robopocalypse is scheduled for release on July 13, 2013. Cabin In The Woods hits much sooner on April 13th of this year.
Out today in select theaters and on digital platforms is heartfelt and playful documentary Mockbuster, which sees a director cold call a studio and ask to helm a lost-world dinosaur epic.
Inexplicably, they say yes.
Our exclusive clip below highlights both the comedic nature of this bizarre scenario as well as the pressures of shooting dino feature The Land That Time Forgot in a mere six days, with no real feature experience.
A dino attack scene causes friction on set in this scene.
In the documentary, “A struggling filmmaker’s opportunity collides with chaos and compromise when Sharknado’s notorious studio, The Asylum, invites him to direct a ‘mockbuster.’ With six days, a micro budget, and mounting pressure, Mockbuster is a comedic, behind-the-scenes documentary exploring the balance between low-budget filmmaking and creative ambition.”
More than just an inside look at filmmaking via low-budget film studio The Asylum, it doubles as one man’s pursuit of his dreams to charming, humorous effect.
“Mockbuster is a documentary about my own journey, but it’s also a love letter to one of the last grindhouses still functioning in Hollywood. We get to meet the characters and creators of some of the most infamous (and most hated) B-movies of the last few decades. People who make movies purely for profit – no pretension, no artistry, just monsters, C-listers, and chaos. A film that both genre fans and cinephiles can enjoy. But Mockbuster isn’t just about filmmaking, it’s about losing sight of your dreams, and reclaiming them in your own twisted way,” Director Anthony Frith said in a statement.
From Executive Producer and famed documentarian David Farrier, Mockbuster opens in select theaters and on digital platforms beginning July 10.