Interview: Dawson Edwards

 

Welcome to another edition of Interview! This time around, Last Resort Films president Phil Dolan sits down to chat with new LRF writer Dawson Edwards (Metroid, Before Love Came to Kill Us) to discuss his first season with the studio.

PD: First of all, welcome to Last Resort Films! So far in your first season with LRF, you have bounced between video game blockbusters and gritty drama. Which do you enjoy writing more?

DE: I prefer watching the giant spectacles for sure. I'm probably going to be killed online for saying this, but I'm a huge proponent of blockbusters being insanely expensive because they're a testament to the ingenuity of mankind. We don't applaud the stunt coordinators and their teams enough. So if I do my part to make their day stressful, then job well done. 

PD: I know you're new to the LRF community, but do you have any favorite films or writers with the studio yet?

DE: Again, don't hate my for being unoriginal, but Christopher Nolan does not miss. His work for LRF has been astounding. The 007 movies were definitely inspiring, and then there are some darlings that no one remembers that I recently got a hold off like "Blood Countess" and "7 Days". I can't leave out "Hex" with Brad Pitt, its what brought be to LRF in the first place.

PD: Outside of LRF, what films and/or filmmakers are you most inspired by?

DE: That's tough. I suppose I'm inspired by the movies that just miss the mark, the most. Like "Damn that movie would have been perfect, if she stayed alive and did.." I love Edgar Wright, I love political thrillers and way too many British police procedurals. Ridley Scott is probably the one carrot I find myself chasing over and over again. 

PD: With your two video game adaptations, some audience members have been wondering: which franchise do you prefer - Metroid or Zelda?

DE: Don't make me choose between my babies! I'll say that I could never forget my first love, and I'll be forever grateful for the work Cary and Jennifer and that 'Metroid' team did with my words.

PD: Next season you will join the LRF Marvel Universe with a film based on Blade. Without giving too much away, can you talk about how that process went?

DE: The hardest film I'll probably ever do. There are literally 5 different drafts of that thing sitting on my hard drive and I couldn't tell you if I picked the right one until audiences see it. Joining the Marvel Universe is less daunting when there's a partly fleshed out corner waiting to played with, but still the pressure to do right by the character and still feel original is absolutely a struggle. I'd rewrite it today if I had the time. Just one of those pitches you just can't say no to even though you're knee deep into Act 3 and you have no idea how the story ends. Blade. Enjoy it soon!