Interview: Race to Witch Mountain Director

Premiere.com: What inspired you to take on this project?
I was a huge fan of the original movie (1975) growing up. It was great and magical, and since it came out before Star Wars it was one of the first movies to capture a child’s imagination.

Premiere.com: You worked with Dwayne Johnson on The Game Plan and again on this film. What is it like working with The Rock?
It was so much fun. TGP was a great first film to work with him on, because he is smart and funny, and we have similar tastes. He went from playing a family-comedy role to an action adventure. What could get better than Dwayne Johnson?

Premiere.com: You introduced a new element in this film, the creature, “Siphon.” What does this creature bring to the film?
We wanted to add more danger, more thrills because it’s not enough to say you are just chased by the police. And it also helped with the pacing of the movie because there are never any stopping or resting points with the multiple dangers approaching.

Premiere.com: How was it working directly with UFO experts, military personnel and CIA advisers? And how much did they add to the film?
It was really important for the reality of the film. We got to tour Cheyenne Mountain, and the military advisors and intelligence advisors constantly helped to keep us honest every step of the way.

Premiere.com: Will there be a sequel?
I hope so. We certainly have a lot of story left to tell and we definitely know the direction we want to go if there is a sequel. It’s driven by the fans though!