Director Bryan Singer talks ‘Jack the Giant Killer’
While promoting X-Men: First Class, director Bryan Singer talked about his next film, Jack the Giant Killer, which will star First Class actor Nicholas Hoult as the titular Jack and producing on the new X-Men film.
“I grew up reading the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. I’m also familiar with the Jack the Giant Killer myth from the 1700s. There was a script that existed a couple of years ago that I changed quite a bit. The idea of that Wizard of Oz-style journey – you’ve got a beanstalk – what’s up there?” Singer told IGN.
Jack, a farmhand who unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants and must do battle with the big fellas to save his kingdom. Principal photography commenced last week and Singer talked about the script.
“Chris McQuarrie did a significant re-write for me. He brought a different structure. It was very much a page-one situation; a different storyline. It involved the same characters, but some we juggled around and switched around. He just brought a very different perspective.”
To bring the giants to life, Singer will be using motion capture technology, saying that “It’s fascinating. I’ve just started my rehearsals with the principal cast on the performance capture stage and I wish you were here so I could show you some photos on my iPhone because they are so comical. It takes you back to play-acting as a kid in your living room because you are running around and having to imagine that you are in Gantua and imagine that there are these weapons and all these giant things. But there’s nothing when you are there other than Styrofoam and blocks. It forces the actors to regress to when they would play-act as kids or do minimalist theatre. But in that way it’s fascinating – I can see why Robert Zemeckis and James Cameron have started to shoot pictures this way.”
Hoult is praised by the director, who talked about the decision to cast him as Jack.
“I met with a lot of people – a lot of people came in – and ultimately decided that he was right for the role. I’ve liked him since Skins and I was very supportive of his casting in X-Men: First Class. He did a great job on that film, and I just really like him as an actor. He is a very charming, sweet guy. And he’s just tall [laughs]. That’s the one thing, he’s just tall, and when you’re making a movie about giants, you tend to want to cast shorter guys, but he’s a terrific actor.”
Check out the full interview at IGN
Jack the Giant Killer will be released worldwide in the summer of 2012.