We Got This Covered: Moving on to your future projects, the first one I’m really interested to see what you do with is your adaptation of Killer Pizza…
Adam Green: [Laughs] Yeah, me too…
We Got This Covered: So I assume that means you’re still working everything out?
Adam Green: Yeah, I mean the script is done and it’s been done for a while. Originally MGM had optioned the project, I did countless rewrites, and ultimately it came back around to where it was, which is frustrating. The good thing is that it’s a big studio movie, but on one hand the bad thing is that they take forever, and who even knows what’s going to happen. But when you have a powerhouse like 1492, Chris Columbus’ company, once they had enough with MGM’s development, it was totally amicable, but it was like “Let’s call it a day, we’re going to take this back now.” That was awesome, to see somebody stand up for me like that. A lot of people wouldn’t do that. You usually get more of a “Fuck man, this is a big budget movie, we’ve got to get this thing made. It’s a lot of money at stake, if it’s got to be a version we’re not really that happy about, fuck it.” He didn’t do that.
Now the script is back in their hands, and the process will start of thinking up another way to do it. There was a point when we were making Hatchet III that Killer Pizza was set up and ready to go, and that was one of the reasons I didn’t direct this Hatchet – but then it obviously didn’t happen. It’s very common and it’s nothing unusual, I’m just waiting for that phone call again. Every time my phone rings and it’s 1492 I answer “HELLO!” all excited like, but nothing yet. Hopefully soon.
We Got This Covered: I think I know the answer to this already, but what rating are we looking at with Killer Pizza?
Adam Green: Definitely PG-13. It’s in the vein of Ghostbusters and Monster Squad, think a big spectacle summer coming of age movie. I don’t want to say family movie, because it’s dark and scary, but in that Amblin way we used to get in the 80s. Even with a movie like Gremlins, Chris Columbus’ first script of that film was a hard R, it was a violent, sick movie. I love that when Steven Spielberg produced it and made it PG, he still left that stuff in there. The kitchen sequence with the Mom, blender, microwave – that stuff is awesome. You would never see that now.
That’s what we’re going for with Killer Pizza, and that’s what we’re trying to do, so we’ll see. I don’t even know if I’ll be the one who ends up directing it. That’s always been the plan, but I can’t say.
I also have this project called Digging Up The Marrow which I’ve been shooting the last year off and on, which started as a documentary, but then turned into something completely different. We don’t even know where it’s going, we’re just sort of following the movie at this point.
Once I’m done with these last ten days of press and Hatchet III is out, I’m going to take ten days to go heal and recover. Everyone’s asking where I’m going to go on vacation, but I’m just going to my parent’s house so my Mom can make me soup and baby me and heal me because I’m a fucking wreck right now. [Laughs] I’m going to heal, and starting July 1st we’re shooting Digging Up The Marrow every day for the rest of the summer, so expect that to be the next feature of mine that comes out.
*I’d like to thank Adam Green for Skyping in for this interview, and be sure to catch Hatchet III starting June 14th! Oh yeah, also be sure to catch Adam on Season 2 of his FEARnet television series Holliston, which premiered June 4th at 10:00EST.
The show follows Adam and horror pal Joe Lynch playing two down and out aspiring filmmakers struggling with a multitude of life’s problems. This season’s guests include Bill Moseley (Texas Chainsaw), Kane Hodder (Hatchet III), Sid Haig (The Lords of Salem), David Naughton (An American Werewolf in London), Danielle Harris (Halloween IV and V), Bailee Madison (Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark) and James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), so don’t miss a single week!