The Scribe & The Werewolves - FEARS Talks With Ehren Kruger.

Friday, 26 January 2007

BY Joseph B. Mauceri (Click on images for larger view.) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Lakeshore Entertainment present a darkly romantic thriller that explores the limbo between the human and the inhuman worlds, BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE, based on the best-selling novel by Annette Curtis Klause. The film stars Agnes Bruckner (ìBlue Carî) and Hugh Dancy (ìElla Enchantedî) as the two young lovers who risk everything to cross it, and Olivier Martinez (ìS.W.A.T.î) as the powerful shape-shifter whose survival hinges on stopping them. BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE is directed by Katja von Garnier (ìBanditsî) and the film is written and executive produced by Ehren Kruger (ìThe Ringî). Co-writer and Executive Producer Ehren Kruger is a graduate of New York Universityís Tisch School of the Arts. He received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciencesí prestigious Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting in 1996 for his original screenplay ìArlington Road,î which was produced by Lakeshore Entertainment. One of the most sought after screenwriter for genre screenplays, his numerous screenwriting credits include ìThe Skeleton Key,î ìThe Ringî and its sequel ìThe Ring Two,î ìThe Brothers Grimm,î ìReindeer Games,î ìScream 3î and ìImposter.î Taking a break from his adapting Stephen King and Peter Straubís ìThe Talismanî into a six-hour television mini-series, FEARSmag talk with Kruger about his work on BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE and his thoughts on screenwriting. FEARS: Since the film ìArlington Road, youíve become one of the biggest names when it comes to genre films. What do you think is your connection and your talents as a screenwriter to make you the person studios turn to when they have a project like ìScream,î ìThe Ring,î or to adapt Stephen King & Peter Straubís ìThe Talisman?î Ehren Kruger: I honestly donít really know! (Laughs) Before I started getting movies made I was writing that kind of all over the map ñ fantasy, thrillers, and Iíd even tried comedies. It just ended up happening that the scripts that Iíve had the most success with are stories the genre and suspense worlds. In my horror projects the stories tend to operate in more of a mystery type of structure that a purely horror construction. I feel like Iíve always been writing suspense and mysteries, and they just wandered into the realm of the supernatural, possession, werewolves, and things like that. For me itís always been the same approach to storytelling, but I do love genre movies. I like the fantasy elements, enjoy the supernatural essentials, and I like dark endings. I love writing in the world. I have done so other screenplays that were more straightforward thrillers and police procedurals, but they just havenít gotten a green light yet. So Iím still trying other things while I work in the supernatural worlds that I love. FEARS: As I was looking over your writing credits I was wondering that while you worked on the retelling the Japanese films ìThe Ringî and ìThe Ring Two,î is BLOOD & CHOCOLATE your first adaptation of a novel for the screen? Ehren Kruger: Itís not the first one Iíve written, but it is probably the first one to get made. FEARS: Is there a difference in retelling a film for an audience or adapting a novel for the screen? Ehren Kruger: The thing adapting anything, be it a novel, a play or an existing film, is that you really do something that is like chipping away at a block of marble. Youíre chipping away at elements to get at the core of the story that is going to work for a two-hour narrative. Thatís never easy, but you generally know that when you are adapting something that there is this core story there that works on itís own terms. The adapting that is literally translating the core story for the screen or see if you to tinker with or massage it more to make it work for a more visual, kinetic form. FEARS: Over the years Iíve had the pleasure to interview many screenwriters. One guy whose managed to cut himself out a niche is Kevin Williamson for his ability to capture that authentic adolescent sounding dialogue. I think thatís something that also comes across it your dialogue. Writing dialogue is like singing; you have to have an ear for it. How do you keep your ear fresh, especially in a film like BLOOD & CHOCOLATE where youíre writing dialogue for international adolescent characters? Ehren Kruger: Itís a curious thing. Itís partially trying to keep your ear open wherever you are and try to hear how people speak. Part of it is that there is a form to film dialogue, where you do need to get the story across. Itís not precisely how people speak, but itís a close approximation. I think you end up spending a lot of time writing scenes until you actually get to hear them performed out loud, or you talk lines out loud, and they donít sound quiet right so you keep hacking at it until it sounds possible. Youíre always looking for the most efficient way to say something when youíre writing dialogue and that isnít how people speak in the real world. FEARS: Regardless of what your job is on a project, there is something about that material that inspires your creative talents to get to work. What was it about BLOOD & CHOCOLATE that excited you about this film? Ehren Kruger: It was the aspect of the book that afforded us the opportunity to take a different tack on the werewolf myth, and maybe even invert it a little bit. Traditionally in werewolf movies they see it as being a curse. Some is bitten and becomes a monster. It is a fearful, savage, and disgusting thing! The book takes the point of view that it would be as much of a blessing as it is a curse to spend part of your live as an animal, to be able to transform into something that is super human. It was that angle that made it interesting, and then there was this wonderful werewolf lore where you could discuss savagery verses civilization. There is this issue of violence verse peace that exists in people that werewolf myth is a wonderful metaphor for. FEARS: Itís been suggest that when so many people in society believe in something that it must truly exist, as with vampires. I think the second myth right after that it our collective conscious would be werewolves. Having explored that world are you a believer or a no believer? Ehren Kruger: I wouldnít say that I believe in literal werewolves. However, a werewolf as a possible extrapolation of like a ìJekyll and Hydeî type of story I can understand. I believe there are light sides and dark sides to everyone and some times the dark sides get out. FEARS: As youíve been working on these different genre stories over the past six years, the audience gets older, the world changes, and does your job in terms of scaring an audience get any easier or harder? Do you feel you have to reinvent some things youíve done before or come up with some new ways to get the same scary end results? Ehren Kruger: I think there are only so many kinds of primal fears in the world and there are some different ways to explore those. What Iím really looking for are stories and characters that interest me. I like scary and suspenseful films, but once you start bending over backwards to think of something that audience might have never seen before you end up with something like ìAttack of the Killer Squirrelsî (Laughs) Thatís opposed to thinking about it in a way that allows you to come at from a basic thematic fear, like the fear of being alone with know one to trust. I think with scary movies you really have to start with more of universal character theme and the try the interesting tack into that, instead of getting too concerned with something that is especially exotic or gory that hasnít been on screen before. FEARS: Youíve already been involved with The Ringî franchise. If BLOOD & CHOCOLATE does well at the box office would you consider revisiting the world of these werewolves again? Ehren Kruger: I always consider it. In general, I think itís hard to do horror sequels well. Horror pictures are so dependent on the element of surprise and fresh, where as sequels tend to find themselves tied to a pattern. Itís often hard to duplicate that feeling of freshness. Iím always open to sequel ideas, but I really try as much as possible, for my part in the process, to fight and try to come at it from a different angle than we did the first time. That may succeed or fail, but at least weíre not going through the same motions again and we have the opportunity to surprise the audience. In terms of BLOOD & CHOCOLATE, if there was sequel Iíd be open to work on it but Iíd really fight for a 180-degree tack away from what the first movie was. FEARS: With BLOOD & CHOCLOLATE coming out I know there are a few other projects, in on stage or another, in the wings. Anyone youíre particularly excited about? Ehren Kruger: Iím really excited about ìThe Talismanî adaptation Iíve been working on for television. I worked on that as a feature for a few years and now it has been resuscitated as a six-hour mini-series for television. Itís been a lot of work to expand, reconfigure it, and get a lot of the original book back in there. For me itís not a form Iíve worked in before and I get six-hours to tell a story. Iím very excited. FEARS: Iím equally excited to see that youíve been attached to the project. Iíve spoken with the authors, Stephen King and Peter Straub, about the project over the years. One of the screenplays I have in my library is the Richard LaGravenese adaptation of the novel. Did you look at the script at all? Ehren Kruger: Thatís cool. Nope, I never read it. FEARS: Given your unique writing style, other than Richard LaGravenese, I canít think of anyone working in the industry today who would be and excellent choice to adapt ìThe Talismanî other than yourself. Iím psyched. Have you had the opportunity to chat with Stephen or Peter about the project? Ehren Kruger: On this one I havenít talked to the authors. This is something that Stephen Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy have owned rights and been developing for 20 years. They been living with this for a while and my meetings have been exclusively with them. Iíd love the opportunity to chat with Stephen and Peter about it. FEARS: At the end of the day when you have a chance to take a step back from everything youíre involved with, is there a specific project or type of story that youíd really like to sink your teeth into if you had your druthers? Ehren Kruger: I donít know about other properties out there. I did write an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevensonís ìTreasure Islandî that was set in WWII and dealt with submarines instead of pirate ships. I love that script and weíre currently trying to get that made. FEARS: With all that is happening technology wise in this 21st Century, and all the new avenues that are opening up to entertainment consumers, do you feel it maintains your level of excitement, keeps you fresh, and makes your job any easier? Ehren Kruger: I think there will always be the need for content and storytelling. My personal job never gets any easier because the good stories are hard to find and theyíre hard to shape into the best possible forms for these other mediums. Some times youíre able to do, or times you canít. Still, I always get excite when it come to my job and trying to make that happen. I am nursing more ideas then Iíll ever time to write, so there is always stuff to do and stuff that needs my attention. FEARS: It sounds like youíre so busy that you donít even have time to consider the possibility of wearing another hat, like directing. Ehren Kruger: AhÖ not right now, but you never know. LINK THIS ARTICLE

 

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