PD: Your most recent film, Maximum Max, was the first original superhero film released by the studio. It was successful, but not a huge hit. Do you have future plans for the character?
CT: I think a crucial aspect of a sequel would be finding something that would keep the budget relatively low like the first film. The profit margins weren’t huge so I feel like a big jump in production costs might be a risky endeavor. Despite there being open-ended plot points in the story that could be explored in a sequel (Max finding his parents, for example), I feel satisfied with keeping it as a one-off for now. That being said, I have already brain-stormed some ideas for villains, specifically in exploring the other people that took the same pill Max did (and what kind of effects it had on them). I am just glad that the first film was not a major flop so that the door for future stories is at least kept open for now. When I say that, I don't only mean future Max stories but for more original superhero films from my fellow writers, as well. And who knows, maybe we could see them cross paths with Maximum Max somewhere down the line!
PD: Your next film, Ghost Town, tells the story of the lives of the residents of Cairo, Illinois, over three different periods in time. How did the film come about?
CT: Ever since passing through on a road trip a while back, I’ve been fascinated by Cairo. It is at the intersection of three states, including two neighbors who were basically Confederate states in the Civil War (unlike Illinois). For a town relatively in the middle of nowhere, it’s got a rich history that I thought warrant examination given its ever-changing demographic situation. My original plan was to simply do the 1909 story but it soon became clear that I should expand into the multiple timelines. Through this lens, I could then look at how the very fabric of the town (and America, to a degree) changed over the course of the century. It is definitely ambitious but we got Barry Jenkins on board, who is a trusted hand who has managed different timelines before and should be able to eloquently capture the film’s sense of place. While it started as simply a setting, Cairo became the main character over the course of the writing process.
PD: You're one of the three writers working on the biggest film the studio has ever made, the long-awaited DC Comics Universe team-up film, Justice League International. What has it been like to work on such a high profile film?
CT: It’s definitely been the most unique writing experience during my time at LRF. First of all, it is three different writers working at once. What makes this tricky is that all three writers have their own stakes in the project as we each maintain different specific arms of the DC Comics Universe. And so we had to learn to balance our unique sensibilities to make the film work on the whole. Of course, there is also the issue of expectations.
As you said, it’s the studio’s biggest production to date and one with quite a bit of build up. My only past experience with something like that is the Booster Gold sequel, and that was only after the first one became a surprise mega-hit. JLI is like that but multiplied by one hundred. At this point, the hard work has been done and now we are in wait-and-see mode regarding the film’s release. I look forward to seeing what everyone thinks.
PD: Speaking of the DC Comics Universe, what's next for your films in the series?
CT: After working on JLI, I figured out an idea I had for a Martian Manhunter solo film and so that is soon on the horizon. The events of JLI will be a direct lead-up to that film and so that is all the context you will need to see it (even more so than BG2). I figured that getting someone like Mahershala to commit to the role was too good to just waste on occasional supporting roles.
And yes, there will be a third Booster Gold film. For those films, I have a much easier time writing the comedic bits than the action set-pieces. I actually just thought of another comedic gag today! But for the third film, I want to strike a better balance in that regard while also expanding the film’s scope beyond its current time-frame. As a result, this one is taking a little more time to plan out but a lot of progress has been made in recent weeks.
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