Do you think the fans are starting to get more excited about adopting Blu-ray?
Gavin Hood: Certainly from my side, yes, but then we’re here in L.A. and we’re folks who love movies of a certain quality. I think it’s the same with all new stuff, whether it’s the iPhone or Blu-ray. The fact is, it’s not going to go away, it’s only going to replace. It’s a better technology, just as we lost VHS at a certain point. I think it’s a wonderful new medium and I was as surprised as anyone when they told me that it could actually do stuff like a live feed. That’s incredible. The next step is, what, I don’t know, if we decided we really want to add a deleted scene we could [upload] it to you on your Blu-ray. Is that possible?
[A member of the Fox marketing team says yes, it’s possible.]
Does the success of the first film give you greater liberty to take an original approach or does it put more pressure on you to maintain truth to the source material?
Lauren Schuler Donner: I think it’s our responsibility to remain true to the source material. There are other influences and other factors that make us deviate from it, the first of which being transcribing it to the screen. We certainly are fully aware of the fan base and try in every way possible to stay close to the source material. I think in ‘Wolverine’ it was a little bit different because there was a lot of different source material, a lot of different legends in Victor Creed’s relationship to Logan and Logan’s background. There were some choices we had to make. Certainly in ‘Wolverine 2,’ in the Japanese saga, we will stay very close to the source material. I think it’s just best that way.
Jman: Lauren if it is your responsibility with the sequel it sure as hell was your responsibility with X-Men Origins: Wolverine. What hapened there? Oh, ok no comment.
Gavin Hood: The truth is, what freaked me out a little when I was doing my research was that I was looking for the definitive origin story of Wolverine. And, of course, any of you who know the comics know that doesn’t entirely exist because this guy’s been written about for 40 years by many different writers, different illustrators. Wolverine’s been drawn wearing a yellow spandex suit and he’s been drawn about wearing jeans and a jacket. The truth is, all of these versions are from source material. The origin story of him as a kid and the bone claws happening and the hint that Victor Creed may be his half brother. In the original draft, when we looked at it without him being a half brother, there wasn’t as much emotional connection between the hero and the villain. So we had to make the choices that were right for this movie. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other options that other writers have written. I just prefer to do a movie with him in jeans and a leather jacket rather than yellow spandex. (Laughs)
Jman: HEY, hey hey Gavin, the fans want to see Wolverine in his suit!!!! Give us what we want!!!!!!
Do you also look to more recent Wolverine material for possibilities to draw from?
Lauren Schuler Donner: There are 40 years of material. Chris Claremont, they’re still writing. Chris is writing an amazing series right now where Wolverine’s killed, Storm is the villain. Sure, one day I’d love to that.
Gavin Hood: I think that’s the joy of this character. He isn’t just one thing. He’s this great icon that can be played by different people and different people get different [things] out of him in different ways. Everybody has their own interpretation.
There are similarities between Wolverine and the James Bond franchise. Do you see the strength of Logan’s character to be able to sustain such a long franchise?
Lauren Schuler Donner: Yes, that would be wonderful. There’s enough comic book material to support it. If we were to make up our own story, which we’ve never talked about, personally I would do it with Chris Claremont. I would stick with the creator.
One of the deleted scenes shows a young version of Storm. Did any other characters appear that got cut?
Gavin Hood: Other than Storm, I don’t think so. Storm’s the only one that didn’t make the movie because there’s only so many characters you can put in without it feeling a little cluttered. Lauren made the point, I think rightly, that none of the other movies have Storm giving any hint of having met Logan.
Given that this is part of a franchise and there are alternate endings where he’s drinking to remember, did you give thought to what a potential sequel might be?
Gavin Hood: I knew everyone was excited by the story in Japan, which I then read and I absolutely do think is a wonderful story and they should do it. But it didn’t effect 99 percent of the film we were making. He moves to another land, so no, I think we were focused on the film we were making because we didn’t know if there would or wouldn’t be a sequel.
Gavin, you’ve talked about pouring through the 40 years of material when you came into this. Aside from the Japan story-line, were there other stories besides what you used that you thought you might put aside for a sequel if you got that chance?
Gavin Hood: I just think that the Japanese story is so iconic and beautiful and could be so visual. That’s the one and I’m reluctant to talk about others because I know Len [Wein]’s writing others now. And honestly, here’s the truth: if the Japanese story works, there might be another sequel. And if it doesn’t, there won’t be. You can get ahead of yourselves by sort of stirring up rumors of what might be. I’m not going to even go there.
I don’t even know if I would be involved. Right now I’m not attached. Nobody’s attached. They’re developing a script and we’ll see where everybody is. I’m hoping to be shooting something next year and I don’t think that ‘Wolverine’ will be ready for next year. I haven’t been approached one way or another. The studio is obviously very cautious. They want to see how Wolverine does on DVD. Let them develop the script, let’s see what the script looks like, let’s see how the studio feels about the script, how Hugh feels about it and then we’ll take it from there.
Jman: That was a nice interview. It showed us that Gavin Hood is a tool and thinks what the fans want is a complete joke. It also verifies that Lauren Schuler Donner reads what is on the Internet because she would have never known the main problem with X-Men Origins: Wolverine was that the writers did not stick to the source material if she hadn't. These two shouldn't be allowed near a movie set with any of their ideas. If a normal person screws up on their job they get moved or fired. If Lauren Schuler Donner And Gavin Hood screw's up on their job they get a press release and a second chance. Makes no sense to me. After reading this interview I am very worried about any future X films especially with these two hanging in the wings.