ROTTEN TOMATOES: Neil Gaiman - RT's Dinner and the Movies Interview

Neil Gaiman - RT's Dinner and the Movies Interview

by Joe Utichi

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On his favourite parts of Stardust:

I love anything with the princes in. I love Michelle Pfeiffer's confrontation with Ditchwater Sal; as little scenes go I love it I think because it's exactly what I wrote in the book. And I love Captain Shakespeare because he's not what I wrote in the book and he's something I can just take pleasure in.

One of the things I like about the film is it's really a hard film to pick favourite bits from because it works so well as a whole.

I love Charlie Cox. I love the whole of Charlie Cox. I love Charlie starting out as this awkward kid in a bad bowler hat and a coat that doesn't quite fit him and a geeky haircut being beaten up and I love Charlie being everything that he grows up into and I love Charlie learning what love is and I love Charlie when he gets turned into a dormouse.

On story changes when adapting for screen:

A film is not a book. If you could absolutely do a BBC Classic version of Stardust it would take lots of 45 minute episodes and at the end of the first episode our hero would be born. Around about episode three or four he and Yvaine would meet. And you could do that and it would be faithful - I'd love to see it sometime - but it wouldn't be a film. You have to squish things if you're going to make it two hours and also there were things I did in the novel that are novelistic.

On getting ready to direct Death: The High Cost of Living with executive producer Guillermo del Toro:

You can have many different types of executive producer ... what Guillermo really wants to do is be there as a safety net for me. We're talking right now about me going out to the Hellboy 2 set and spending a while just shadowing Guillermo, talking to his crew, getting an idea of why he does what he does. Interrogating him, getting in the way... This is the Guillermo del Toro two-week film school, which really does sound absolutely fucking awesome.

On casting his female Death:

You have to have somebody who the entire audience falls in love with more or less immediately. Of whatever sexual preference or gender the audience happens to be, they all have to love her. You have to have someone likeable, bright, who can do the thing of being smart and sweet and optimistic without ever being cloying or irritating or making you want to hit her. And with a certain amount of vulnerability. Those, I think are the key things I'll be looking for in an audition and they're certainly the key things I've brought up in talking to actresses.

I've had several breakfasts and cups of tea with people.

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(1-20 of 27 posts) | Reply

witherwings writes:
on Oct 17 2007 08:12 AM

I love that man. What a mind.

(Reply to this)

dracus writes:
on Oct 17 2007 08:40 AM

If Hollywood encourgaged writers like Gaimen instead of relying on remakes, it wouldn't be in the creative mess that it's in now.

(Reply to this)

PlanBFromOuterSpace writes:
on Oct 17 2007 10:31 AM

I read an article about comic-related movies that are currently in development hell recently that was pretty interesting, and Gaiman's name popped up quite a bit, as it seems that quite a few of his earlier works resemble other projects that, in the meantime, have already made it to the silver screen. For instance, Books of Magic, at least when described briefly, sounds a little too Harry Potter-ish and more like an imitation than something that had already been around for several years before the Potter books even existed. Apparently, someone else wrote a script that re-worked it a bit, and Gaiman liked it, but suggested that they just call it something else entirely, because it didn't really resemble his original stories at all anymore. He's sort of a victim of bad timing in a way and he's very much a writer first and maybe a filmmaker second (or third...or fourth). Much of his writing isn't very cinematic, and from what I've heard, Mirrormask was just an incredible bore. This was FROM Gaiman fans, about the only audience that wanted to see that movie in the first place. Yes, Neil Gaiman (while not exactly a favorite of mine) is a good writer, and Dave McKean is a good artist, but you can't just throw them in the same room and expect them to put together the most compelling movie ever made. I think the only thing that could really sell on HIS name now would be a Sandman movie, because that's his signature work, the book that got the most mainstream attention (15 years ago, anyway) and would be most likely to draw in a potential audience that has no idea who Gaiman is. At this point, the phrase "from the author of Stardust" doesn't carry the same weight as "from the creator of Sin City and 300" (Frank MIller) or "from the author of V for Vendetta" (Alan Moore), but maybe a Sandman movie, if treated properly, could give other Gaiman projects a jumpstart and more of a chance to succeed based on their association with him.

(Reply to this)

artdude102 writes:
on Oct 17 2007 10:58 AM

In reply to this comment (#1197623)
100% agreement here! I'm currently listening to the audio version of Stardust read by Gaiman himself and it's the most lyrical work I've heard since Phillip Pullman read his own "His Dark materials" trilogy. I wish production companies would take note and STOP with the endless wave of rotten remakes and TV inspired shlock (Bewitched anyone!?)

(Reply to this)

artdude102 writes:
on Oct 17 2007 11:02 AM

In reply to this comment (#1197623)
100% agreement here! I'm currently listening to the audio version of Stardust read by Gaiman himself and it's the most lyrical work I've heard since Phillip Pullman read his own "His Dark materials" trilogy. I wish production companies would take note and STOP with the endless wave of rotten remakes and TV inspired shlock (Bewitched anyone!?)

(Reply to this)

crudebob writes:
on Oct 17 2007 12:38 PM

In reply to this comment (#1197623)
Dracus, you hit the nail right on the head. I think the problem with Hollywood is that it's a lot easier for them to dust of on a old story and remake a movie than it is take a chance on a new writer and bring him or her along.

(Reply to this)

I Am Remote writes:
on Oct 17 2007 03:41 PM

Anyone here dislike Gaiman? Anyone? No?

Alright I'll leave.

(Reply to this)

pinkincide writes:
on Oct 17 2007 04:27 PM

I liked Stardust, but I think you have to give as much credit to the screenwriters as to Gaiman. Gaiman's version was rather lightweight and vague and would have made a similar move had they followed it directly. Nearly everything the screenwriters changed--including the entire ending--was a huge improvement. Most of the comedy was a product of the screenplay also.

But I don't want to knock Gaiman too much, because the original vision was his, and I'm for whatever it takes to get an original movie made rather than unending remakes and sequels. So if he supplies the raw materials and good screenwriters polish it we've got a good formula.

(Reply to this)

Timber writes:
on Oct 17 2007 05:14 PM

I loved the "Neverwhere" novel, and think it would make a great and quite unique film if done by the right person (Guillermo del Toro would be nice), and with a decent budget.

I've resisted watching the BBC adaptation mostly because I assumed that the hackneyed TV special effects would ruin it for me. If anyone has seen it and has an opinion, tell me what you thought.

(Reply to this)

Cmedic79 writes:
on Oct 17 2007 07:31 PM

Sandman will be a tremendous task to adapt it to the screen. Gaiman's visions are very complex and his stories combine so much. I want a sandman movie very much but am more than nervous about it's transition. And for the record I did enjoy mirromask.

(Reply to this)

fox3run writes:
on Oct 18 2007 09:33 AM

Alan Moore wannabe...nuff said

(Reply to this)

Ahimaaz writes:
on Oct 18 2007 02:23 PM

The Sandman is Gaiman's masterstroke. Forget Stardust, it may or may not turn out a winner for him, since he isn't even writing for the screen. I look forward to Death: The High Cost of Living, for which he's gonna sit on the director's throne. If other Sandman series likewise adapted to screen by a director like Guillermo del Toro with him assisting, you never know it can turn out to be a unique film experience like Sin City made by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller.

(Reply to this)

ThunderMammoth writes:
on Oct 18 2007 02:49 PM

In reply to this comment (#1199851)
I've seen the BBC Neverwhere, and i honestly loved it. i bought it later as well. but then, this is coming from someone who grew up liking the Tom Baker Dr Who series, and much prefers the BBC version of Hitchikers Guide than the film done recently. so, take that advice for what you will. LOL...

(Reply to this)

FuzzyWhisper writes:
on Oct 19 2007 07:13 AM

Gaiman is brilliant. I'm beside myself with anticipation for Death. I know that Neil will get the casting exactly right.

(Reply to this)

remyrem12 writes:
on Oct 19 2007 10:27 AM

In reply to this comment (#1199851)
You can watch Neverwhere on youtube if you want.Just search 'neverwhere' and it should come up.

(Reply to this)

Sprizmo writes:
on Oct 19 2007 01:59 PM

Man oh man, If they have anyone direct a Sandman trilogy (and it should at the very least be a trilogy) it should be Guillermo Del Toro. With a Pan's Labyrinth visual and dramatic sensibility it could only be a cinematic triumph.

For the guy who says Gaiman's an Alan Moore wannabe, I'm sure Moore himself would disagree.

(Reply to this)

adb89 writes:
on Oct 19 2007 02:12 PM

I'd love an American Gods movie... if they got it right. As for a Sandman movie, thats a little iffy IMO. I really look forward to seeing who plays Death.

(Reply to this)

Travis27 writes:
on Oct 20 2007 11:56 PM

Peter Jackson should direct American Gods or Good Omens

(Reply to this)

notbri writes:
on Oct 21 2007 10:33 PM

In reply to this comment (#1199851)
The Neverwhere miniseries wasn't that bad if you don't have incredible expectations going in. I mean, if you're a huge Gaiman fan, then watch it just because it's a part of the "canon," just don't expect it to be on par with the book. He wrote the book because he didn't get to do everything with the miniseries he'd hoped to do, so...

(Reply to this)

Kudama writes:
on Oct 22 2007 07:53 AM

A lot of love here for del Torro. I'm in good company. He's been my favorite living director since Cronos.
Chalk me up as a person that very much enjoyed Mirror Mask. I liked it head and shoulders above anything else Henson Studios has been involved with. And I'll never forget the story of the exiled old Chinese dude that was saved by a kitten in Sandman (drawn by one of my favorites-Jon J. Muth). Good stuff.

(Reply to this)

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