Filmmaker Martin Campbell on Edge of Darkness and bringing back Mel Gibson after a long hiatus What prompted you to direct Edge of Darkness as a feature film after its been a successful series on BBC?Converting the series into a movie was not my idea. I think it was in 2000 that someone suggested we make it into a movie and we got some script development money. Over the next five years,we just developed the script while I continued to work on other projects. Then we got the final draft from scriptwriter Andrew Bovell. I took that script to Graham King (producer) who said he will finance it. Then we finally got scriptwriter Bill Monahan involved to do the final character polish on the script. What would you say to fans of the original TV series who are thinking of seeing the movie?None of that mid-1980s stuff is scary anymore. Its like everyone has plutonium in their back garden now. The original version is nothing if not a creature of its time,full of era-specific Thatcherism politics and a very real concern with nuclear weapons. But the Edge of Darkness remake has generic politics: without spoilers,what it comes up with could be plausible only to your most unshakable 9 Which is fine: the politics here are a pretext rather than a raison dêtre. Did you watch the television series before making the film?Why should I have? I didnt even think of the series when I made the film. I dismissed the thought completely. I just told myself that Ive just got to treat this like a completely different movie. Was Mel Gibson your first choice for the role,considering that he hasnt done a lead role in the last eight years?Mel was the only person we had in mind for the role. We didnt have a second choice and I think we were very lucky to get him. He was probably a bit worriedanyone would feel a bit hesitant if they have not been in front of a camera for eight years. But I must say that once we got into it,that was it. Hes one of the best actors in the world. Hes a heavyweight actor,and we havent got many of those. Also,the fact that Gibson is a director himself,did it help you in any way?He made it very clear in the beginning that he was only an actor on this because he didnt want me to think that he would be breathing down my neck as a director or a producer. Mel takes direction very well. He also likes to rehearse. We did about 10 days of rehearsal. From the point of view of the Indian audience,what do you think will appeal to them?While on the surface,Edge of Darkness is a revenge thriller,it eventually evolves into something that mixes action with suspense to create a tight government conspiracy thriller. People would like the emotional story,from the original,of Craven losing his daughter. That side of the story is what I loved and I think audience will also love it. You have resurrected the Bond franchise twice. Do you plans of directing a Bond movie again?No,no,no. Im done! You havent done a special effects movie in a long time. Is Green Lantern set to change that? Is Green Lantern the exact adaptation of the original story? Well yes,I had never done a superhero movie before,but Green Lantern is an origin story. My protagonist is a psychological character. His powers are psychological. Theyre to do with will and the enemy is fear,as opposed to Superman who sort of runs into a phone box,gets the old spandex on and off he goes. So Green Lantern is more complex. I hope I will bring a sense of reality to it so it does not get in the realm of comic book.
