Post by Replicant on Nov 9, 2017 19:33:11 GMT
Interview with Sheldon Lettich
www.cineycine.com/noticias/entrevista-sheldon-lettich/
Translation by Google:
Sheldon Lettich (1951) became known worldwide in the late eighties, but came to Hollywood a few years earlier. Something not many know is that in 1983 he directed the short film 'Firefight' with Philip and Simon Rhee, Brian Thompson and Frank Dux, the latter is the man whose real legend (or invented) gave rise to the film 'Bloodsport' that Lettich would write in part and would make Jean-Claude Van Damme known worldwide. Precisely the first questions of our interview were in that direction ...
-Cineycine: How much of the final script was your work? How did they live the green light to Bloodsport after so many years stored in a drawer?
-Sheldon Lettich: "There were many changes made to the original script by the writing team that Cannon brought when the film was in pre-production, some of which abruptly deviated from my original script. I feel that some of these changes improved the script and others did not. I met Frank Dux in 1981. And yes, I did a short film (Firefight) in 1983, in which I made him an actor. A couple of years later, in 1985, I was hired by independent producer Mark DiSalle to write the initial script for what would later be 'Bloodsport'. The following year, 1986, Mark sold the script to Cannon Films and they shot the film in Hong Kong shortly thereafter. "
-CYC: How was your first encounter with JCVD and what was your first impression?
-SL: "My first" meeting "with JCVD was over the phone, when he and Frank called me from Hong Kong during the production of 'Bloodsport'. We promised to see each other in person when we returned to Los Angeles. Jean-Claude fulfilled that promise and shortly after returning I met him, and his wife Gladys, at my house. We connected immediately and we became friends. Even today, we still meet from time to time. Looking back on our careers, I have worked on the screenplays of more Van Damme films than any other writer (accredited and uncredited, about 10), and I have directed four of his films, more than any other director. It can be said that 'Bloodsport' was the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration between us. "
[..]
-CYC: The experience did not make Lettich quit and in 1990 he would direct his debut, 'Lionheart: The Wrestler' with Van Damme as the main character.
-SL: "From Lionheart I especially like the fact that we did not stick to the manual for this type of action movies. And still the movie worked perfectly. I still remember people as they cried and applauded at the end. And many do not remember that the film begins with the brother of Van Damme's character being horribly murdered by drug dealers. Normally it is expected that Lyon (Van Damme) spend the rest of the film hunting these guys and killing each of them with blows. But we did not do that. In fact, the hospital doctor even urges Lyon not to pursue these boys, suggesting that it would be more important for him to find some way to help his brother's widow and daughter, and that's what Lyon does for the rest of the year. footage. This is how it can be seen in the version we launch internationally. "
"For the American version, Universal Pictures wanted us to clarify about the fate of the criminals, so we had to add a scene where the doctor informed Lyon that the culprits had been arrested. Both versions work, but we did not go the easy way ... The two versions opposed all the "rules" that normally expected a movie like this to adhere. We do not even meet Lyon's final opponent, Attila (Abdel Qissi), until the third act of the film ... and it has absolutely nothing to do with the death of his brother. "
-CYC: In 1991 he rolls 'Double Impact', his own version (together with JCVD, co-author of the script) of 'Los hermanos Corsos' by Alexandre Dumas, and at the same time his best known film today with Bolo Yeung, Geoffrey Lewis , Peter Malota or bodybuilder champ Corinna Everson. From all genres could say that we are before his film more round do you share that opinion?
-SL: "There's a lot of what I love about 'Double Impact', but I can not unequivocally call it my best movie. There are others that I like as much as that. None of my films are perfect, and there are things that I like and I do not like about each of them. However, and in all fairness, I must say that 'Double Impact' seems to have remained a favorite among fans of the Van Damme films, and not just of his fans, but fans of the action in general. Even today is a film that is as effective as almost thirty years ago, not by chance there was a special screening of 35mm at the Beyond Fest 2017 in Hollywood and I was there to present it. "
-CYC: On the other hand, 'Double Impact' was also your first encounter with Peter Malota, who debuted in 2017 as a director in 'Kill'em All', have you seen it?
-SL: "Yes, I've seen 'Kill Em All' and I think Peter Malota did a great job, especially considering that the budget was very small, the schedule hurried and it was also his first film as a director. In general, I remember that I liked it much more than the previous Van Damme movie I had seen, 'Pound Of Flesh' (Ernie Barbarash, 2016), and that I had a much more experienced director. "
[..]
-CYC: In the year 2000 he directed Dolph Lundgren (a real gentleman, in the words of Lettich) in the post-apocalyptic film 'The Last Patrol', during which the Israeli producer Jacob Kotzky passes his name to Avi Lerner, fan of the previous collaborations between Lettich and Van Damme, who decides to join them again to recover the spirit of 'Double impact' with 'The Order' (2001). Did they have plans to make 'The Order' a franchise? Did they come up with some ideas for a sequel?
-SL: "We definitely expected a sequel. My idea would have taken Rudy and his father to Yucatan, Mexico, and the plot would have to do with the ancient Mayans and some of their hidden treasures. That's why I even have Rudy's father mentioning Cancun at the end of the movie. It was supposed to be a subtle entry to the next installment. "
-CYC: What was it like working with a golden Hollywood legend like Charlton Heston? How did Heston get to the project? Is the rumor that he played Rudy's father (Van Damme) true but for health reasons he was given another role?
-SL: "Hiring Heston was easy. Van Damme and he had the same agent: Jack Gilardi. This is how we ended up filming in Israel with the actor whose name was like saying Moses or Ben Hur. We had never intended for Heston to play his father, because that would have required having him on the set for many weeks and in all kinds of stressful situations. Heston was very old at that time, had memory problems (early onset of Alzheimer's disease), and had some serious mobility problems with his hips, he had to use a cane to move. "
"On the other hand, Heston was unmistakably American and Van Damme was tired of being taken for French in almost every movie, so for this we wanted his character, Rudy Cafmeyer, to be Flemish (from the north of Belgium) accordingly it made sense that his father would also have been from Flanders and with a flamenco accent. Jean-Claude and I were looking forward to some famous European actor like Klaus Maria von Brandauer playing Rudy's dad. Jean-Claude had even spoken with Alain Delon about his role. But Millenium chose not to spend the extra money with a star-rated actor, and only sent us someone we had never heard of, who had never auditioned for the role, and who never even met with us. One day unexpectedly arrived at our hotel in Bulgaria and that's it. Vernon Dobtcheff was a sweet guy, and a good actor, but he just was not as credible as Jean-Claude Van Damme's father. "
-CYC: After 'The Order', I would work with JCVD for the last time to date on 'The Hard Corps' (2006). Tell us about her ...
-SL: "I liked the final result of the film, it has fabulous characters and it moves more in the field of drama than in the action without rest, which is what is expected in a movie with that premise. It was a pity the lack of time and money to round out the action scenes outdoors. We could not even count on a level choreographer and JCVD ended up coordinating everything as best he could, while also concentrating on the interpretation. Cuba Gooding Jr was the one who had to give life to the boxer co-star. Even Wesley Snipes was mentioned, but there was never a meeting with the producers. Everything was for lack of money and accounts prevailed. The producers knew that if Van Damme was the main actor they would have to pay a co-star at the same level, and with Cuba Gooding in the film the budget would shoot up. They decided to go ahead with an almost unknown British actor who was going out for the base salary, Raz Adoti, who did a great job on the paper, especially being British and posing as an African-American. But it was not a name to put in a marquee. That's why Vivica Fox took her place in the posters, because the public knew who she was. I think she may have been the main factor that made the film a hit above expectations, the Van Damme & Vivica combination sounded intriguing. "
"On the other hand, it was originally DMX who had to assume the role of the villain. I had an interview with him. His name on the poster of the film, together with those already hired, would have taken us to cinemas. But unfortunately he had to comply with a sentence of 60 days in prison that coincided with our production program, so the insurance company dismissed his incorporation. If we had had Cuba (or Snipes) and DMX, I think we certainly would have made it to theaters. It was a quality movie that looked very well projected on a big screen, not as if it was intended for a direct video release. "
-CYC: Is it true that Don Wilson and Steven Seagal almost star in 'The Hard Corps'? Even Wilson said that you promised him the main role of the movie before Van Damme, what does he have to say about that?
-SL: "I never promised the role to Don Wilson. He did not choose the script and there was never any kind of enforceable commitment, either verbal or written. He was simply interested in playing the lead role and I was interested in working with him. This was all before I had shown the script to Van Damme. Another actor who was also interested before was Steven Seagal, who decided to move on from the project after having had a meeting with him. Later I found out that I did not want to star in it because I planned to direct it and I was uncomfortable with the fact that it was someone so close to his "maximum rival", Van Damme. Don Wilson did everything possible to obtain an adequate budget for the film, which I told him had to be at least $ 5 million, but he could not raise that money to shoot it. Then Van Damme came with a much more substantial budget and an agreement with Sony, something he could not refuse. "
www.cineycine.com/noticias/entrevista-sheldon-lettich/
Translation by Google:
Sheldon Lettich (1951) became known worldwide in the late eighties, but came to Hollywood a few years earlier. Something not many know is that in 1983 he directed the short film 'Firefight' with Philip and Simon Rhee, Brian Thompson and Frank Dux, the latter is the man whose real legend (or invented) gave rise to the film 'Bloodsport' that Lettich would write in part and would make Jean-Claude Van Damme known worldwide. Precisely the first questions of our interview were in that direction ...
-Cineycine: How much of the final script was your work? How did they live the green light to Bloodsport after so many years stored in a drawer?
-Sheldon Lettich: "There were many changes made to the original script by the writing team that Cannon brought when the film was in pre-production, some of which abruptly deviated from my original script. I feel that some of these changes improved the script and others did not. I met Frank Dux in 1981. And yes, I did a short film (Firefight) in 1983, in which I made him an actor. A couple of years later, in 1985, I was hired by independent producer Mark DiSalle to write the initial script for what would later be 'Bloodsport'. The following year, 1986, Mark sold the script to Cannon Films and they shot the film in Hong Kong shortly thereafter. "
-CYC: How was your first encounter with JCVD and what was your first impression?
-SL: "My first" meeting "with JCVD was over the phone, when he and Frank called me from Hong Kong during the production of 'Bloodsport'. We promised to see each other in person when we returned to Los Angeles. Jean-Claude fulfilled that promise and shortly after returning I met him, and his wife Gladys, at my house. We connected immediately and we became friends. Even today, we still meet from time to time. Looking back on our careers, I have worked on the screenplays of more Van Damme films than any other writer (accredited and uncredited, about 10), and I have directed four of his films, more than any other director. It can be said that 'Bloodsport' was the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration between us. "
[..]
-CYC: The experience did not make Lettich quit and in 1990 he would direct his debut, 'Lionheart: The Wrestler' with Van Damme as the main character.
-SL: "From Lionheart I especially like the fact that we did not stick to the manual for this type of action movies. And still the movie worked perfectly. I still remember people as they cried and applauded at the end. And many do not remember that the film begins with the brother of Van Damme's character being horribly murdered by drug dealers. Normally it is expected that Lyon (Van Damme) spend the rest of the film hunting these guys and killing each of them with blows. But we did not do that. In fact, the hospital doctor even urges Lyon not to pursue these boys, suggesting that it would be more important for him to find some way to help his brother's widow and daughter, and that's what Lyon does for the rest of the year. footage. This is how it can be seen in the version we launch internationally. "
"For the American version, Universal Pictures wanted us to clarify about the fate of the criminals, so we had to add a scene where the doctor informed Lyon that the culprits had been arrested. Both versions work, but we did not go the easy way ... The two versions opposed all the "rules" that normally expected a movie like this to adhere. We do not even meet Lyon's final opponent, Attila (Abdel Qissi), until the third act of the film ... and it has absolutely nothing to do with the death of his brother. "
-CYC: In 1991 he rolls 'Double Impact', his own version (together with JCVD, co-author of the script) of 'Los hermanos Corsos' by Alexandre Dumas, and at the same time his best known film today with Bolo Yeung, Geoffrey Lewis , Peter Malota or bodybuilder champ Corinna Everson. From all genres could say that we are before his film more round do you share that opinion?
-SL: "There's a lot of what I love about 'Double Impact', but I can not unequivocally call it my best movie. There are others that I like as much as that. None of my films are perfect, and there are things that I like and I do not like about each of them. However, and in all fairness, I must say that 'Double Impact' seems to have remained a favorite among fans of the Van Damme films, and not just of his fans, but fans of the action in general. Even today is a film that is as effective as almost thirty years ago, not by chance there was a special screening of 35mm at the Beyond Fest 2017 in Hollywood and I was there to present it. "
-CYC: On the other hand, 'Double Impact' was also your first encounter with Peter Malota, who debuted in 2017 as a director in 'Kill'em All', have you seen it?
-SL: "Yes, I've seen 'Kill Em All' and I think Peter Malota did a great job, especially considering that the budget was very small, the schedule hurried and it was also his first film as a director. In general, I remember that I liked it much more than the previous Van Damme movie I had seen, 'Pound Of Flesh' (Ernie Barbarash, 2016), and that I had a much more experienced director. "
[..]
-CYC: In the year 2000 he directed Dolph Lundgren (a real gentleman, in the words of Lettich) in the post-apocalyptic film 'The Last Patrol', during which the Israeli producer Jacob Kotzky passes his name to Avi Lerner, fan of the previous collaborations between Lettich and Van Damme, who decides to join them again to recover the spirit of 'Double impact' with 'The Order' (2001). Did they have plans to make 'The Order' a franchise? Did they come up with some ideas for a sequel?
-SL: "We definitely expected a sequel. My idea would have taken Rudy and his father to Yucatan, Mexico, and the plot would have to do with the ancient Mayans and some of their hidden treasures. That's why I even have Rudy's father mentioning Cancun at the end of the movie. It was supposed to be a subtle entry to the next installment. "
-CYC: What was it like working with a golden Hollywood legend like Charlton Heston? How did Heston get to the project? Is the rumor that he played Rudy's father (Van Damme) true but for health reasons he was given another role?
-SL: "Hiring Heston was easy. Van Damme and he had the same agent: Jack Gilardi. This is how we ended up filming in Israel with the actor whose name was like saying Moses or Ben Hur. We had never intended for Heston to play his father, because that would have required having him on the set for many weeks and in all kinds of stressful situations. Heston was very old at that time, had memory problems (early onset of Alzheimer's disease), and had some serious mobility problems with his hips, he had to use a cane to move. "
"On the other hand, Heston was unmistakably American and Van Damme was tired of being taken for French in almost every movie, so for this we wanted his character, Rudy Cafmeyer, to be Flemish (from the north of Belgium) accordingly it made sense that his father would also have been from Flanders and with a flamenco accent. Jean-Claude and I were looking forward to some famous European actor like Klaus Maria von Brandauer playing Rudy's dad. Jean-Claude had even spoken with Alain Delon about his role. But Millenium chose not to spend the extra money with a star-rated actor, and only sent us someone we had never heard of, who had never auditioned for the role, and who never even met with us. One day unexpectedly arrived at our hotel in Bulgaria and that's it. Vernon Dobtcheff was a sweet guy, and a good actor, but he just was not as credible as Jean-Claude Van Damme's father. "
-CYC: After 'The Order', I would work with JCVD for the last time to date on 'The Hard Corps' (2006). Tell us about her ...
-SL: "I liked the final result of the film, it has fabulous characters and it moves more in the field of drama than in the action without rest, which is what is expected in a movie with that premise. It was a pity the lack of time and money to round out the action scenes outdoors. We could not even count on a level choreographer and JCVD ended up coordinating everything as best he could, while also concentrating on the interpretation. Cuba Gooding Jr was the one who had to give life to the boxer co-star. Even Wesley Snipes was mentioned, but there was never a meeting with the producers. Everything was for lack of money and accounts prevailed. The producers knew that if Van Damme was the main actor they would have to pay a co-star at the same level, and with Cuba Gooding in the film the budget would shoot up. They decided to go ahead with an almost unknown British actor who was going out for the base salary, Raz Adoti, who did a great job on the paper, especially being British and posing as an African-American. But it was not a name to put in a marquee. That's why Vivica Fox took her place in the posters, because the public knew who she was. I think she may have been the main factor that made the film a hit above expectations, the Van Damme & Vivica combination sounded intriguing. "
"On the other hand, it was originally DMX who had to assume the role of the villain. I had an interview with him. His name on the poster of the film, together with those already hired, would have taken us to cinemas. But unfortunately he had to comply with a sentence of 60 days in prison that coincided with our production program, so the insurance company dismissed his incorporation. If we had had Cuba (or Snipes) and DMX, I think we certainly would have made it to theaters. It was a quality movie that looked very well projected on a big screen, not as if it was intended for a direct video release. "
-CYC: Is it true that Don Wilson and Steven Seagal almost star in 'The Hard Corps'? Even Wilson said that you promised him the main role of the movie before Van Damme, what does he have to say about that?
-SL: "I never promised the role to Don Wilson. He did not choose the script and there was never any kind of enforceable commitment, either verbal or written. He was simply interested in playing the lead role and I was interested in working with him. This was all before I had shown the script to Van Damme. Another actor who was also interested before was Steven Seagal, who decided to move on from the project after having had a meeting with him. Later I found out that I did not want to star in it because I planned to direct it and I was uncomfortable with the fact that it was someone so close to his "maximum rival", Van Damme. Don Wilson did everything possible to obtain an adequate budget for the film, which I told him had to be at least $ 5 million, but he could not raise that money to shoot it. Then Van Damme came with a much more substantial budget and an agreement with Sony, something he could not refuse. "
