Drew Goddard has earned his geek credibility many times over. Goddard wrote for the acclaimed series Byffy the Vampire Slayer, Lost and Daredevil, and co-wrote and directed the cult smash horror comedy The Cabin in the Woods. But now he’s aiming squarely at the nerd crowd with his adaptation of Andy Weir’s best-selling novel The Martian, which has hard science coming out of its ears.
We sat down with Drew Goddard at TIFF 2015 to talk about the complicated process of turning a very technical novel into a very human screenplay, and why it was so important to the writer not to dumb down Andy Weir’s story for mainstream audiences.
What’s more, we also asked about the Sinister Six movie he was preparing to direct for Sony before the announcement of the Marvel Studios reboot. Quoth the Goddard: “On the off-chance we actually get to make it one day I want to keep it sort of quiet, but it was the epic Spider-Man movie of my dreams. Yeah, no, look, I loved it. We were deep in pre-production when the Sony hack happened and it was sad to see everything go down. But welcome to Hollywood.”
Related: TIFF 2015 Video | Chiwetel Ejiofor on ‘The Martian’
The Martian stars Matt Damon (The Bourne Ultimatum), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), Jessica Chastain (Interstellar), Mackenzie Davis (Halt and Catch Fire), Kristen Wiig (Ghostbusters), Kate Mara (Fantastic Four), Sebastian Stan (Captain America: Civil War), Donald Glover (Community) and Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom). It premieres in theaters nationwide on October 2nd, 2015.
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
The Best of TIFF 2015 | Exclusive Reviews, Interviews and Videos
The Best of TIFF 2015: Exclusive Reviews, Interviews and Videos
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'The Martian' Sciences All The Science
Matt Damon stars in an outer space thriller by nerds, for nerds. The rest of us can enjoy it too.
Image via 20th Century Fox
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Brian Helgeland on ‘Legend’ and ‘The Wild Bunch’
The Oscar-winning filmmaker reveals which Tom Hardy was hardest to work within a film that stars two of them.
Image via Universal Pictures
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'High-Rise' is an Impressive Erection
An insulated community gradually collapses into anarchy and horror in Ben Wheatley’s slimy J.G. Ballard adaptation.
Image via Recorded Picture Company
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Denis Villeneuve on 'Sicario' and 'Blade Runner 2'
The filmmaker promises to 'take care of' the mystery of whether Deckard is a replicant or a human in his next film, the long-awaited follow-up to Blade Runner.
Image via CraveOnline
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'The Boy and the Beast' is Best of the Fest
Mamoru Hosoda’s unique and brilliant animated fantasy could very well fill a hole in your soul.
Image via Mongrel Media
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Chiwetel Ejiofor on ‘The Martian’
He can about playing a super nerd, but he cannot talk about playing a supervillain (yet).
Image via CraveOnline
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Tom Hardy is Kray-Kray in 'Legend'
Tom Hardy plays identical twin organized crime bosses, but only one of them well, in Brian Helgeland’s uneven biopic.
Image via Universal Pictures
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'The Danish Girl' Flakes at the End
Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander give soaring performances, but this Oscar contender lands with an unexpected thud.
Image via Focus Features
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'Mustang' Isn't Just Turkey's 'Virgin Suicides'
A promising new filmmaker explores the repressions five sisters undergo when they’re accused of sexual indecency.
Images via Cohen Media Group
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Drew Goddard on 'The Martian' and 'Sinister Six'
"It was the epic Spider-Man movie of my dreams," says the acclaimed writer/director.
Image via CraveOnline
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'Body' Makes You Laugh Without Knowing Why
Corporeality haunts three characters in this masterful Silver Bear winner from director Małgorzata Szumowska.
Image via Nowhere
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'Green Room' Has Strong Fear on Tap
Jeremy Saulnier's neo-Nazi thriller is a worthy follow-up to Blue Ruin.
Image via A24
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Superb Satire in 'Chevalier'
The Greek New Wave demands to be viewed with this comedy about hyper-competitiveness turning men into horse's asses.
Image via Faliro House Productions
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'Sicario' Borders on Greatness
From the director of Prisoners comes a gripping episode of narcs and violations.
Image via Lionsgate
