This weekend I got to speak with Legendary Films’ CEO Thomas Tull about Godzilla. We’ll bring you the full interview on Godzilla next week in which Tull shared some interesting background on the film’s tone and visual effects. At the end of our talk I did ask Tull about some other Legendary films and will simply present the end of the Q&A here.
Some highlights to note are perhaps the most definitive answer we’re likely to get on future Legendary/Warner Brothers films. Legendary moved to Universal, and Tull has dodged questions about where a Godzilla sequel might land, saying he’s focused on this movie. I may have caught Tull off guard asking about the 300 franchise. Since Rise of an Empire is open for a sequel, Tull did suggest that it would stay at WB. Also see news on the post-production schedule for Warcraft, the rating of Dracula Untold and Angelina Jolie’s second directorial film, Unbroken.
CraveOnline: I understand Warcraft wraps shooting shortly but doesn’t come out until 2016. Is two years of post longer than usual?
Thomas Tull: Well, part of it is getting the date right. As you may have noticed, these next two years, there’s pretty big titles coming out. We wanted to make sure that we got that right, but there are some sequences and some things that Duncan Jones has done that are truly on the cutting edge. You want to have plenty of time to make sure that we dial those in. So by the time they get home and set up, it’ll be a little less than two years. It’ll be about 20 months but we really want to take our time and get this right because the technology that’s employed really is some next generation stuff.
So they’ll use the time.
Correct, absolutely.
Duncan’s last two movies were mind-benders. Is Warcraft more of a straightforward story for him or does it have that element too?
I would say it’s a linear story, but at the same time, it’s Duncan Jones. That’s what we wanted, was again that different flare, not just straightforward fantasy and everything. Look, it’s a privilege. Being able to go from Interstellar’s our fifth movie with Chris Nolan into Guillermo del Toro and Gareth Edwards and now Duncan Jones. It’s really a privilege to work around these folks.
With Jurassic World, how did you solve the development hell that movie was in?
We definitely cannot take credit for that. We jumped on a moving train at Universal and that’s Frank Marshall and Colin [Trevorrow] and the great Steven Spielberg. But, [we’re] incredibly excited and I think fans will be too. The first one is one of my favorite movies and I really think you’re going to see that DNA.
Is Spielberg delegating to you as a producer on Jurassic World?
No, this is one, we didn’t, obviously, develop it. It’s not our property so it’s much more of us working with them and financing it and helping where we can. Steven and Frank, I think they’re in pretty good shape.
Since you worked on Man of Steel, do you get to work on Batman Vs. Superman too?
No, sadly our 10 year run with Warner Brothers and being in the Batman/Superman business has concluded, so we moved over to Universal/Comcast and I will be there as an ardent supporter of Zack and Henry and everybody opening weekend.
What does the Universal move mean for the 300 franchise?
You know, right now if there were some other story to tell it would certainly be at Warner Brothers but that’s definitely not on our radar today.
I spoke to Sarah Gadon for Belle and talked a little bit about Dracula Untold. Is it planned to be a PG-13 film?
I’m not sure. That, again, normally we develop and produce and do all these things and so forth. On these first few titles from Universal, we’re sort of jumping on their ship. So that’s one that we didn’t produce. We’re just financing it for them. I think that’s where it’s going to end up but I don’t know for sure.
When will we see Seventh Son?
In January, now that we got it moved from one studio to the other, and we’re really excited about it.
Was it already finished by the time that happened?
Yeah, it’s just complicated. We were finishing the shots but what complicated that is when we moved from Warner Brothers over to Universal, we had to re-date it but we’re really excited it. Jeff Bridges did an amazing job.
You have Angelina Jolie’s second feature as director. Is she even more sure footed on Unbroken than her first In the Land of Blood and Honey?
Yeah, I mean, she’s an amazing talent and that’s an incredible tale so we’re very fortunate to be involved with that as well.
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
