PD: First off, how are things going over at the MBWA since Mo began his leave of absence?
DW: Things are a bit weird to be honest. I've said this countless times before, but you'll know more about the current situation and the overall discomfort we're feeling since he left when Letter for Myself will be released and trust me, I'm not saying this to simply hype the film. I've yet to truly settle in my role of leader, but I think I'm doing good, for now. I'm writing a blog post for every film we release and ultimately, my goal was to make you feel like Mo never left and I'm working really hard to achieve that. I don't have the time and availability that Mo had and I know people don't really know me around here, so I feel like an odd-man out, like I'm an impostor stealing the spotlight from my friend, but it's going to be alright. Mo is doing good, for people asking and he's brewing a comeback.
PD: Speaking of Mo, he's hard at work on his directorial debut which happens to feature a character named after you. How do you feel about that?
DW: It feels a bit weird to be honest, but I can't say that I didn't know this was coming. He warned us before and we kind of all worked on the film somehow. He asked us which actor we would like to have in our roles, which was a cool experience. Some of us went for the looks, but some went for the acting and that's alright. It will still feel weird for a part of my life to be out there, but we gave the film our stamp of approval and as I said, we've all worked on it, so we can't really complain about it. Not that I want to generate hype for my Letter to Myself blog post, but you'll know more about the behind the scenes once the film gets out and I can't wait for you to see it, hopefully it finds an audience and people are understanding, we're not perfect and never were, we're just humans after all.
PD: In your filmography, you have done smaller films and blockbusters close together. Is it hard for you to change gears between writing something huge like one of the Halo films and then sitting down to write a smaller character piece like The Death of the Honest Man?
DW: I think I have an easiness at it that I don't quite understand. Most of my future work will be blockbusters though. I only write "smaller" films when I'm really inspired and I have a clear, definite idea of what I want to do. With Shake Hands with the Devil, I wanted to give you the vision of the Rwandan Genocide from someone who has seen it from the inside and was looked upon at the time as a villain. It was an interesting character study that shows how much war can change a man, even if it doesn't involve directly killing people. It was a hit with the critics, but it failed to translate into awards success, which was a shame. With Death of the Honest Man, well, it's quite simple. I'm a huge fan of Yorgos Lanthimos' work and I wanted to work with him, so I wrote a story specifically for him, something that would work well with his strength. He usually does quirky, strange, oddball character studies and I tried to make it his style and I think I did good. It's easy to book a great, successful director for your film, but I think it's important to work with the strength to make it the best film possible (especially with the ones who usually write their own films). I didn't have this great idea for a while, so this is why you'll see a string of big budget films from me in the coming season, but I promise that I'll do smaller-scaled projects in the future. When I write blockbusters, they're usually based on source materials, so I have a guideline and it makes it easier for me. Is it hard to change gear, not necessarily, but sometimes it's harder than usual and I'm currently in such a stretch.
PD: Your next film is based on DC Comics' Metamorpho. What drew you to the character?
DW: You won't believe it, but you'll learn more in the accompanying blog post, after the release of the film, haha. Of course, Metamorpho is part of something bigger than just Metamorpho, but what ultimately drew me to the character was that you can literally do anything with him. He's a shape-shifting superhero and I think he has interesting villains. Of course, given the nature of his powers, you can really improvise in the battle sequences, so each one of them can feel different and it makes him almost impossible to defeat. His shape-shifting form makes him able to do everything you want him to be and it also makes for a great sidekick for any superhero, if you know what I mean...
PD: What upcoming films are you excited about?
DW: I'm definitely excited to see what you think of Letter to Myself and your reaction to it specifically. Of course, I'm excited for all MBWA films, because I already read them, but I'm always eager to see how they will score with the critics. In no specific order, I'm also excited for Judd Apatow's upcoming directorial debut for the studio and if Jacob Jones managed to get his tone right. I'm anticipating the release of Stray Dogs, as I always like a good western and the cast looks promising. I'm also excited for the next installment of the Splinter Cell franchise and the upcoming and really anticipated Justice League International! I don't really know anything about the other films, so can't really tell at the moment, but I'm sure you guys all have something interesting in store!
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