Eli Roth spills a few new details about Quentin Tarantino's upcoming World War II movie and his own film Endangered Species.
Director Eli Roth, best known for his popular horror hits Cabin Fever, Hostel, and Hostel: Part II, took time out of a photo shoot today to talk with us on camera about his co-starring role in Quentin Tarantino's upcoming World War II opus Inglourious Basterds. In the film, he plays the notorious Bear Jew, Sgt. Donny Donowitz, a Boston brut that likes to play baseball with Nazi skulls. During our chat, we discussed his character, collaborating with director Quentin Tarantino, and audience perceptions. He also let us in on a few new details about the highly anticipated film.
According to Roth, the version that is coming to theaters in August is going to be five to six minutes longer than the version that played at Cannes. And he also hinted that Quentin Tarantino has already planned, not only a sequel, but also a prequel that would reunite Roth's Bear Jew with Brad Pitt's Lt. Aldo Raine. Both actors would love to do it, but production hasn't started quite yet, so don't get to excited.
This is what Roth had to say about the new length of the theatrical version:
"After Cannes, Quentin always said that he wanted to do some cutting, and pruning, and that he was going to be changing things. There was a lot of stuff left out before. He felt that he had over cut. There were certain scenes that were taken out for Cannes that will come back into the final version. Because it plays better like that. I think the final version of the film is five or six minutes longer than the version shown in Cannes. From what Quentin has told me, he has fleshed it out a little bit more. Cannes running length was at two hours and twenty-five minutes. I think this is a little over two hours and thirty minutes. Something close to that."
Roth had this to say about a potential sequel:
"Quentin has an entire universe planned out for Inglourious Basterds. With Aldo and Donny in Italy with a troop of black soliders. He has a whole prequel planned, and most of it is written. If the movie does well, he will make the prequel. I want to see a prequel. Both Brad and I want to be in it. Brad and I were in Cannes screaming, "Prequel, prequel, prequel!" He even has two sequels planned. He's not necessarily going to make these movies. But he has at least four our five stories centering on these characters that span through the fifties and sixties. He knows exactly where these characters are going. He has this whole universe mapped out in his head."
About Internet rumors, and the fact that we hardly ever see any of these "rumor stories", such as an impending Inglourious Basterds sequel, come to fruition, Roth stated:
"From this interview, people will dissect fifteen different things, and they will decide that Quentin is already directing the next movie. That's not what I am saying. Quentin just has these characters so figured out that he has their whole lives mapped out, and there arcs thought through. Maybe he will write a script, maybe he wont. Just know that it's written in his head. People will hear that, and star saying that there is another Inglourious Basterds movie already on the way. The truth is, people talk about this stuff because its fun. Its like tabloid gossip for movie fans. I don't see any harm in it."
What is Eli doing next as far as directing goes?
"I am doing Endangered Species next. That is what I am planning to do. The truth is, I can't fully disclose what I am doing with certain projects because it will implicate people that are involved. I am not talking about Thanksgiving. Right now, there is a big shake-up in the film industry. Everyone's project is getting put on the back burner. Studios are scared to greenlight anything. People are waiting to see what happens with the economy, and they are waiting to see how things shake out. The only thing I can do is finish my script. Right now I am in the writing stages on Endangered Species, and when that is done, I will move ahead. I want to do a movie that is in the vein of Transformers. I want to do a movie that is sci-fi action adventure.
Something that is a lot of fun. Something that is PG-13. Something that still has some teeth to it. That is all I can say about it right now. About Thanksgiving, we are currently outlining the script. What I am doing right now is getting all of my scripts ready. When the time comes, I want to shoot them all back to back. Endangered Species will be first."
About his proposed fake movie trailer movie, Roth said:
"That was one of those things where there was too many disagreements about what the film was. What kinds of trailers we were going to shoot. Ultimately, I decided the studios version of the movie was something I didn't want to be involved in. It might happen, but it won't happen with me attached as the director."
You can hear more from Eli Roth in the upcoming exclusive Inglourious Basterds video interview that we will be posting soon. The film is set to open on August 21st, 2009.