After directing Oscar winning film Traffic (2000), and the commercially hit George Clooney- Brad Pitt starrer Ocean film franchise, American filmmaker Steven Soderbergh had announced retirement in 2013. Four years later, the American changed his decision and got on the director’s chair once again, with the upcoming film, Logan Lucky. In an interview, Soderbergh discusses the reasons behind his return, working with Daniel Craig and more.
You had retired from filmmaking, four years ago. What changed your mind?
The decision to return was a convergence of a couple of things - one technological and one creative. On the technological front, we’re reaching a point in the digital landscape where a small company can put a movie into wide release without involvement from major studios. I was having conversations about the future of feature film distribution when this script came over the transom.
Was it the script of Logan Lucky that changed your mind?
I was initially asked to help find a director for the script, but I was very excited by what I read. After a couple of weeks, I admitted that I really didn’t want anybody else to direct Logan Lucky because I saw the movie very clearly from what was on the page. It’s kind of a cousin to an Ocean’s film, but it’s also an inversion of those movies because these characters have no money and no technology. They live in very pressured economic circumstances, so a couple of garbage bags full of cash can turn their lives around. The story felt close enough to the kind of film that makes me comfortable but different enough to make me excited.
What made you sign Daniel Craig as the lead of the film?
Daniel and I have run into each other over the years so I e-mailed him the script and said, ‘I think I may have something for you.’ The next morning I got an email back from him saying, ‘This is great.’ I had a feeling Daniel would respond to it because Joe Bang is arguably the best part in the film. He gets all the fun lines and does a bunch of fun stuff for a third of the film without having to shoulder all the responsibility of a lead role.
What made you sign Daniel Craig as the lead of the film?
Daniel and I have run into each other over the years so I e-mailed him the script and said, ‘I think I may have something for you.’ The next morning I got an email back from him saying, ‘This is great.’ I had a feeling Daniel would respond to it because Joe Bang is arguably the best part in the film. He gets all the fun lines and does a bunch of fun stuff for a third of the film without having to shoulder all the responsibility of a lead role.
Coming back to filmmaking after four years, are you worried about the audience reception to the film?
I’m hoping audiences enjoy Logan Lucky as something that’s pure entertainment and fun, but at the same time is not disposable. I think there’s enough percolating under the surface of this film to have it resonate beyond the two hours you spend watching it. A lot of times, you’ll see a Hollywood picture that’s like sheer gossamer; it disappears from your brain as soon as it’s over. I feel like Logan Lucky is rooted enough in the real world that it won’t just disappear. I feel like the planets have kind of lined up for me to put out a movie in the way I’ve always fantasized I could.
Follow @htshowbiz for more