Interview: John Malone

In a new recurring segment, Last Resort Films president Phil Dolan will sit down and interview one of the studio's writers. For the first edition, Dolan will chat with two-time Golden Reel Award winner John Malone (Season 2 Best Adaptation for Flicker, Season 3 Best Adaptation for The Prisoner).

PD: You have become known throughout the community has a writer of highly detailed, complex stories. What is your process?

JM: Well, so far all of my scripts have been adaptations of properties I am a fan of, so with those I really try to capture the essence of what attracted me as a fan. With The Prisoner, I was always interested in the odd details of "The Village" and how a normal person would respond to such an environment.

PD: Your lone film in Season 4, Star Trek: Enterprise, just debuted to very disappointing box office numbers and underwhelming reviews. What do you think went wrong?

JM: Admittedly, Enterprise was never my favorite incarnation of Trek, but I felt it would make an interesting film since it is essentially a prequel to the entire universe. Like one review stated, I probably spent too much time on setting up the world and plot, and not enough time letting the audience get to know the characters.

PD: What are some of your favorite films released by the studio?

JM: If I had to choose, I'd probably say my two favorite LRF releases are Blackwater and Into Thin Air. They both perfectly utilize their casts and their genres. I love how Blackwater completely subverted the idea of a film about a small-town sheriff, and I loved how Into Thin Air creatively used the time travel sci-fi subgenre.

PD: What's next for you?

JM: Well, I'm done for Season 4, but I believe I have two films set for release. One is a novel adaptation - my first since Flicker. The other is a remake of a well-known horror film (not sure if I'm allowed to reveal it yet). I know that sounds odd based on my body of work, but I have an idea for it to make it a serious, dark fantasy horror epic. I'm not sure what the schedule looks like after that, but I have been working on a couple original ideas. They are probably a long ways away from release though.