Ernie Cline “Fanboys”
Upcoming film “Fanboys” tells the story of a group of fans in 1998, who take a road trip to Skywalker Ranch to preview the new “Star Wars” film — the last wish of a dying friend. The film stars Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, and Kristen Bell, and features appearances by Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, William Shatner, and Seth Rogan. Screenwriter Ernie Cline appears in the film as “Ensign Wierzbowski” — he is also a spoken word artist. “Fanboys” is scheduled for release in late March, early April.
Shuffleboil: What was the original genesis of the screenplay? When did you write it and why?
Ernie Cline: I finished the first draft in October 1998. The original idea came as a result of reading all the “Star Wars” fan Web sites on a daily basis. It was the height of prequelmania, and I could already see that “Episode One” was going to be the most highly anticipated movie in the history of American cinema. And like everyone else, I had been waiting for 15 years to see it. My mother had died of cancer the year before, so I was somewhat fixated on human mortality at the time. One day the question occurred to me — what would I do if I knew I wasn’t going to live to see “Episode One?” The answer seemed obvious. I’d have to drive out to California and break into Skywalker Ranch to try and find the work print. I knew right away that it was a great idea for a movie. So I sat down and wrote it, with the intention of trying to make it myself as a low budget Indie film.
SB: As a writer, you have a huge following in, for lack of a better term, the geek community. Or do you prefer nerd? In any case, where did that start and how do you feel about living in that role?
EC: I’m equally comfortable with being called a geek or a nerd. I’m definitely a bit of both. And that comes across in pretty much everything I write. I can’t hide it.
If I were embarrassed about being a geek, it might bother me to be labeled as such. But I’m not. I happily shout it over the rooftops of the world. To quote Gilbert Lowell, “I’m a nerd. And I’m pretty proud of it.”
SB: What was the journey of this screenplay? How did it get into the hands of The Weinstein Company and Kevin Spacey?
EC: A young up-and-coming producer, Matt Perniciaro, read about the script on “Ain’t It Cool News” and contacted me to ask if he could read it. He loved it and optioned the script from me in 2001. The project languished in development for many years, until the director, Kyle Newman, came on board. It was his input and enthusiasm for the movie that help get the interest of Kevin Spacey’s company, Triggerstreet Productions. Kevin Spacey’s involvement helped us get permission from Lucasfilm to use the “Star Wars” license. Several studios became interested at that point. The script eventually found its way to Harvey Weinstein. He read and immediately decided he wanted to make the movie with us. Four months later, we started filming. After all those years of waiting and uncertainty, things happened very fast.
SB: Seth Rogan’s star is certainly rising and he plays several roles in “Fanboys.” Who made that call and what do you think about it?
EC: Seth is a genius and a brilliant comedic actor, so I think he always on the “Fanboys” casting wish list. It turns out he’s a huge fanboy himself, and he loves “Star Wars,” which is why I think he jumped at the chance to be in the movie. He’s also really close friends with Jay Baruchel, who plays Windows, so it was also a chance for the two of them to work together again (they both starred on “Undeclared” together).
Seth is absolutely fantastic in “Fanboys.” He pulls a Peter Sellers and plays three different roles. Two of them are in heavy make-up, so a lot of people won’t even recognize him right away. I fell really lucky that he decided to be in the movie.
SB: When you wrote the screenplay did you ever think “there’s no way that George Lucas will agree to participate in the movie” or did that even cross your mind as the narrative began to unfold? In the end, did Lucas endorse the film?
EC: It did cross my mind, and I had no clue how I was going to get Lucasfilm to sign off on the movie, especially considering the subject matter (fans attempting to break in to their offices). But I didn’t let that stop me from trying to make the movie anyway. I figured I would burn that particular bridge when I came to it. But when the time came, we sent Lucasfilm the script and they agreed to let us use the license to our heart’s content. So the movie is filled with “Star Wars” toys, logos, and costumes. They even let us shoot at Skywalker Ranch. It still blows my mind when I think about it.
SB: Unlike other screenwriters who are sometimes nearly banned from the set, I saw that you actually had a cameo in the film. What was it and did you enjoy having some screen time?
EC: It was one of the coolest experiences of my life. I’m the biggest “Star Wars” geek imaginable, so you can imagine what it was like for me to get to geek out on the set of my very own “Star Wars” movie. I play one of the Trek fanboys in Seth Rogen’s posse. And I got to appear in a scene with William Shatner, which was like geek nirvana.
SB: What was the most surprising directorial choice that the director made with your screenplay. Did you like it?
EC: Kyle brought thousands of great ideas to the table. One of my favorites — he took one of my throw away references to “THX-1138” (George Lucas’s first film) and expanded it, so that all of the guards at Skywalker Ranch wear uniforms and masks like the robotic cops in “THX-1138.” And their security center looks just like one of the control rooms in that movie. It’s such a great visual movie geek reference. Proof that Kyle is a true fanboy.
SB: The characters in “Fanboys” seem very genuine and accessible, though very different. Were they inspired by real people in your life?
EC: Yes. They’re all based on me and the guys I grew up with in Ashland, Ohio. We were all raging fanboys. Playing Dungeons and Dragons, watching movies, playing video games, and collecting comic books. Each of the main characters is sort of an amalgam of several people. A geek archetype.
SB: This is your first produced screenplay. Overall, can you talk a little bit about the experience and whether or not it was what you thought it would be?
EC: It has been (and continues to be) one of the strangest experiences of my life. Nothing like I anticipated. I never dreamed that it would take ten years to make the movie, or that it would ultimately be made as a multi-million dollar production, starring actors who appeared in the original “Star Wars trilogy.” It’s ridiculous. If you’d told me ten years ago that all of this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have believed you.
SB: It’s ironic that pretty much the second you get your WGA card the writer’s strike goes into high gear. How is the strike affecting you?
EC: I have several other screenplays in various stages of development, and the strike has temporarily killed the momentum on all of them. But I completely understand and support the reasoning behind the strike. Before long, everyone will be watching TV and renting movies over the Internet, and the writers deserve to get a share of the revenue their work generates, in any medium.
SB: Do you have any other projects in the hopper at the moment? If so, can you talk about them?
EC: There are several. But I can’t talk about them just yet. Sorry!
SB: The premiere is just around the corner. Will you be there? What are you wearing?
EC: Yes, I definitely plan to attend. I’ll probably wear my “Greedo Shot First” T-shirt.
SB: One final question — how many rebel ships survived the assault on the death star in “Episode IV?”
EC: Three ships. Two X-Wings and one Y-Wing, piloted by Luke Skywalker, Wedge Antilles, and Keyan Farlander. Four ships, if you count the Millennium Falcon. But we really shouldn’t, because it wasn’t technically a “rebel ship.” Have I proven my “Star Wars” geek cred yet?
SB: Affirmative.
January 18th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
[…] for longer than it took Lucas and company to crank out all three of the Star Wars prequels. In this new interview with our good friends at Shuffleboil, screenwriter/slam poet/geek pride activist Ernie Cline […]