Drake Bell and Christopher McDonald in Superhero Movie Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

What can you tell us about the film's villain, Lou Landers/Hourglass, played by Christopher McDonald?
I had wanted to make a unique villain for the movie. I didn't want to spoof other villains and I wanted to give him a unique plot, unique power. And we settled on this notion of a guy who had a terminal disease, and in his desire to save his life, he managed to mutate himself so that he can only live if he kills people. So he's kind of an interesting tragic character, a villain with an understandable drive and a need to solve his own problem. And we needed someone — and this is very tricky casting — who can hold the center of the film down in a very respectable, serious way, and yet also be funny. And not be funny in the sense of "Hey, look at me! I'm funny!" but understand how to make something funny. And that's the tricky line. And Christopher McDonald just hit it out of the park. And the second he started reading that character, I thought, that's the guy. That's who I've been hearing in my head all the time.

How game is someone like Pamela Anderson, the most downloaded woman on the internet, to poke fun at not only Jessica Alba's character in Fantastic Four but the stereotypical dumb blonde too?
Well, we like to work with people who know who they are and who are comfortable with who they are and can have fun with that. And Pamela is no exception... I wrote a joke that basically was making fun of her sex tape with Tommy Lee. She loved it. And it was a really funny moment and she [is] smart to know that by acknowledging it and having fun with it, people will love you. It's an expression of confidence. Those are the kinds of actors we love to work with. Fearless.

Do you have any thoughts on the rumors that Superhero Movie is going to be faced with protests in LA and NYC by angry fanboys wanting The Weinstein Company to release Fanboys?
Yeah. Well, they're not protesting our movie. They're picketing [our] movie because they're protesting the [Weinstein Company]. All I can say is that I believe in everybody's freedom of expression, and if they get tired of picketing, they should come inside and watch a movie. I guess that's going to violate the whole point of their picket but no one has to know. I think they would laugh. I think they're going to be at two theaters. Maybe I'll come by and bring them sandwiches or something.

You are currently writing and producing Opus, an animated film with Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Berkeley Breathed. Can you tell us more?
Yeah, we were. Opus, I think, is sort of on hold right now, but that was kind of a dream come true for me, to work with Berkeley Breathed, the genius behind Bloom County and Opus. And he and I have just worked very well together... We wrote a treatment for a movie for Opus that we loved. I'm not sure what's going on with it, but if not that, something else maybe. He's a hero of mine.