Interview: Seth Overton

In this edition of Interview, Last Resort Films president Phil Dolan sits down with writer Seth Overton (Mass Effect 3 - Part 2, Blackbird), to discuss his latest film Mass Effect 3 - Part 2 and what's next for him as a writer.....

PD: Both parts of Mass Effect 3 each have a lot of returning faces from previous films in the series. Was it hard to figure out who to bring back and how to do so?

SO: It was certainly one of the most challenging parts. I knew that there were some secondary character arcs that definitely needed resolution after having invested such a long time in their stories throughout the films, such as Gillian and Paul Grayson in Part 1. There is also a scene in Part 2 involving Martin Sheen's character The Illusive Man which kind of re-contextualizes his relationship with a certain character for those who have seen "Mass Effect: First Contact".

However, not everyone brought back was crucial to the main story. Some of them were just some fan favorites that I felt deserved a farewell. For example, Mickey Rourke's character Zaeed was brought back after the positive reception he got in "The Shadow Broker" spin-off. Seth Green's Joker also brought some much needed levity to an otherwise pretty intense film in Part 1. Do I think we got everyone we could? No, I would loved to also bring back Kasumi (Claudia Kim) and Aria T'Loak (Tilda Swinton) in some shape or form, but I couldn't fit them without making an already epic film feel too dense.

All in all, I think all the familiar faces really contributed to this sense of finality for the films.

PD: The Mass Effect series is now releasing its eighth film, is Mass Effect 3 - Part 2 the end of the saga?

SO: For the foreseeable future, yes. If I ever decide to revisit this universe, it would be with a new cast of characters.

The first instinct would be to adapt the "Mass Effect: Andromeda" game but that one wasn't exactly that well received by the fans. Although, it could also be argued that during the course of the 8 films we've made, the story kind of diverged and only sporadically followed the original source's plot. I kind of had my own fun with these characters. So who's to say an "Andromeda" adaptation wouldn't be good?

However, right now, I feel like there definitely needs to be a break.

PD: After 10 seasons of Mass Effect films, are there any other major properties you would want to tackle in the future?

SO: I'd be interested in possibly adapting the Shadowrun universe next. The game combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy, horror and detective fiction. Like Mass Effect, it sort of has the same potential for a film series with an expanded universe, but with a different feel to it.

And I'd also love to adapt "The Longest Journey", a 1999 point and click game which is a personal favorite of mine. It would be more of a family-friendly fantasy adventure film.

PD: Speaking of the future, what's next for you?

SO: Right now, I'm working on "The Impaler", a historical film based on Vlad The Impaler. I don't want to reveal too much about the story or the cast. I will say that I want some of the cast to be of Romanian descent, which might be a gamble at the box office. I will also say that I'm also a bit anxious about really wanting to get it right, since I am actually Romanian myself.

Also after Blackbird, I got really excited about adapting another Junji Ito story, so that will probably come out after "The Impaler".