In this edition of Interview, Last Resort Films president Phil Dolan sits down for an interview with writer Wesley Campbell (Saga, Bone) to talk Peter and the Shadow Thieves and the box office struggles of his previous films.
PD: It's been a long time since the release of the first film, written by Clive Steinbeck, back in Season 2. What made you want to write a sequel to it?
WC: Well, I actually was a fan of the books and saw the first book was done already. So I went on to do Saga and Bone but I kept coming back to the Starcatchers and wondered if there's potential for a second film. SO I dove back into the books and refound my love for them.
PD: Do you worry that the poor reviews of the previous film, Peter and the Starcatchers, could have a negative impact on the box office of your sequel?
WC: To be honest, I'm not that worried. I've probably had the worst start in LRS than anyone else. I aimed to make a comic book series EVERYONE including the author said would be impossible. Then, the next one I did probably is better suited for TV. Considering the response the first one got, I'd bet bad case scenario, the movie makes half of what the first did, then I'd be fine, but less than that, I'd be back again with my head in the sand.
PD: Your previous three films have all failed at the box office. What do you feel you have learned from the box office performance of your previous films?
WC: Well... I learned to gather bigger names whenever I decide to give animation a shot again. It was a learning experience that is for certain. With Saga, my heart wasn't in the right place and all the criticisms that the film earned was a cold, hard slap to the face to my common sense. I didn't build the world, I didn't paint a picture of what's going on, and I ended the story all wrong. I just thought it was a guarantee for B.O. success. It was my first movie! You always think your first is gonna be a win! Bone hit me heard cause I thought I did everything right, got a more noticeable cast, actually planned it out to fit with the books, and it was a family movie. I thought that was enough but again I was wrong. Then, I gave live-action a try making The Cape, a comic I've always wanted to do, and again I didn't get it right. The Cape was a hard one cause I didn't do it alone and took a lot of control away from H.G. We're square now but after how critics responded he may have had a few points. Overall, I think I've learned to be more careful of what I'm doing and look over what I've done to sand over some rough edges. Also hiring the right people for the right reasons.
PD: What's next for you?
WC: Isn't that a question to answer for me right now? I can't really say. Maybe I'll keep the whole sequel writing thing going or venture off into other films I've planned on doing. I wanna do Metal Gear Solid since it's been my go-to game when I'm bored. I've been working on the third one for awhile trying to undo any damages the second one caused. I got a new spin on Robocop I believe worth doing. It'd honor the spirit of the original while going off onto its own thing. Then, I wanna do a film on my favorite cartoon growing up as a kid that got an awesome reboot on Netflix. Really most of my ideas are gambles. Probably the reason H.G. called me "Mr. Gamble" during the making of The Cape.
WC: Well, I actually was a fan of the books and saw the first book was done already. So I went on to do Saga and Bone but I kept coming back to the Starcatchers and wondered if there's potential for a second film. SO I dove back into the books and refound my love for them.
PD: Do you worry that the poor reviews of the previous film, Peter and the Starcatchers, could have a negative impact on the box office of your sequel?
WC: To be honest, I'm not that worried. I've probably had the worst start in LRS than anyone else. I aimed to make a comic book series EVERYONE including the author said would be impossible. Then, the next one I did probably is better suited for TV. Considering the response the first one got, I'd bet bad case scenario, the movie makes half of what the first did, then I'd be fine, but less than that, I'd be back again with my head in the sand.
PD: Your previous three films have all failed at the box office. What do you feel you have learned from the box office performance of your previous films?
WC: Well... I learned to gather bigger names whenever I decide to give animation a shot again. It was a learning experience that is for certain. With Saga, my heart wasn't in the right place and all the criticisms that the film earned was a cold, hard slap to the face to my common sense. I didn't build the world, I didn't paint a picture of what's going on, and I ended the story all wrong. I just thought it was a guarantee for B.O. success. It was my first movie! You always think your first is gonna be a win! Bone hit me heard cause I thought I did everything right, got a more noticeable cast, actually planned it out to fit with the books, and it was a family movie. I thought that was enough but again I was wrong. Then, I gave live-action a try making The Cape, a comic I've always wanted to do, and again I didn't get it right. The Cape was a hard one cause I didn't do it alone and took a lot of control away from H.G. We're square now but after how critics responded he may have had a few points. Overall, I think I've learned to be more careful of what I'm doing and look over what I've done to sand over some rough edges. Also hiring the right people for the right reasons.
PD: What's next for you?
WC: Isn't that a question to answer for me right now? I can't really say. Maybe I'll keep the whole sequel writing thing going or venture off into other films I've planned on doing. I wanna do Metal Gear Solid since it's been my go-to game when I'm bored. I've been working on the third one for awhile trying to undo any damages the second one caused. I got a new spin on Robocop I believe worth doing. It'd honor the spirit of the original while going off onto its own thing. Then, I wanna do a film on my favorite cartoon growing up as a kid that got an awesome reboot on Netflix. Really most of my ideas are gambles. Probably the reason H.G. called me "Mr. Gamble" during the making of The Cape.
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