Roland Emmerich, the most successful German filmmaker in Hollywood, isn't averse to making a disaster movie about the banking industry, he told finews.asia in an interview.
Would you be interested in making a disaster film about banking?
Yes, I’ve thought about it. According to a theory, there will be a huge global crisis in 2025. I’m interested in this – telling the story of a Wall Street investment bank at the time when the end of the world is near, with all the unrest and conflict that comes with it. Much like the Wild West when things turned really sour.
How long does it take you to make a movie?
It depends. The film that we have just finished has been in my head for 20 years. We worked on the script for three to four years, preparing for the film and realizing it was a matter of about six months. It may sound like it's a long time until 2025, but in reality, it is only six years.
What's your latest film about?
The film is called «Midway». It combines action and drama and is set during World War II. The movie stars Woody Harrelson, Luke Evans and Mandy Moore and was filmed in Honolulu and Montreal.
«Midway» is about soldiers who fought the devastating battle of the Midway Islands in 1942 and led the decisive shift in the war of the Pacific. It will hit the movies in early November 2019.
Did you see «The Wolf of Wall Street»?
Yes, of course. I liked it a lot.
What is it that fascinates you about the financial world?
Nowadays, people know very well what is being done on Wall Street and in finance in general and are fascinated about it – for better or worse. Recently, there have been a lot of remarkable films about this issue. I liked «The Big Short» the most, but also «Margin Call» and «The Wolf of Wall Street».
You’re known as the «master of disaster» because of the many disaster movies you’ve made. How did you get hooked on it?
It has something to do with the fact that I always was a big fan of science fiction. At some point, I had a film in mind about an invasion of planet earth by aliens – much like locusts – who kill people and it all results in a catastrophe.
People then have to start resisting and finding ways to destroy this gigantic enemy. It is a classic movie trope to combine science fiction and disaster. That’s how «Independence Day» came about.
And in other films too?
Yes, absolutely. I never made a straightforward disaster film. There have always been at least two components. In «The Day After Tomorrow», it was the beginning of a new ice age provoked by the human race. I picked up on climate change when it wasn’t such a big issue as it is now.
In «2012», it was a story that took a leaf out of Noah’s Ark. In other words, it was never a mere visualization of disaster, and my films always contained a kind of overarching theme – otherwise I wouldn’t make them.
Which of your films do you like best?
«Anonymous», which came out in 2011. It's a political thriller that was set during the final years of Queen Elizabeth I and took issue with the question of who in reality had penned the works of William Shakespeare. Hardly anybody has seen it, so it isn't my most successful film, but I like it the most.
Which actors do you like working with the most?
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