Ep27 - Guy Ritchie / "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword"

Galaxy Volume two, which is, you know, fun. If you enjoyed the first one, I'm sure you'll dig this one. And uh, you know, speaking of which, it seems like it's going to be a typically franchise heavy summer. There's another Spider Man, and other Transformers and other Pirates of the Caribbean, Wonder Woman, all of the I p s are out in force, all of the stuff that does a really good job of selling toys and book bags

and whatnot. As I like to say, I'll probably be sitting in a theater watching the new Alien film as you listen to this, and uh, you know, you're not limited to that. For something entirely different, There's a ghost story from David Lowry new film with Casey Affleck that's fantastic. Edgar Wright has a new film that everyone's loving, Baby Driver, and Big Sun Dance Hit The Big Sick from kuma Io Nan Johnny from Silicon Valley, and my guest today has a new film as well. His name is Guy

Ritchie and he's sitting right here, sir. Thank you for coming on the show today. I appreciate it. Thank you. Chris Films called King Arthur Legend of the Sword with Charlie Huntum and Jude law Uh. It's interesting too to me because I mentioned all of those brands a moment ago, and King Arthur is kind of the original brand in some ways. I mean, there's been like countless movies and TV shows, and Disney even took a crack at it.

And it's a well known legend, you know. So my question is I'm curious, knowing that it was such well worn material, what excited you about coming in and telling a King Arthur story of your own? I think the challenge as much as anything else. It didn't occur to me that it was a dusty or an exciting title. Um. I think I liked the idea. I was inspired by the Boorman movie Excalibur. I don't think it's been as many incarnations as you think actually about the legend of

King Arthur. But nevertheless, it seems like a familiar monica. And to me, I fancied the challenge of bit like Sherlock Holmes, for all, familiar with that. I think I could do something with that. And I was familiar an excited bar I or many components in the Autherian legend, and it was the challenge, can I go into the epic fantasy genre and create something that feels different and fresh? Um? And that was my mandate, um, to somehow create a

new voice in that. Yeah, it's a It's interesting because I was a little surprised, and although I shouldn't have been, because you've never been one to like anonymously direct your films. There's a definitive signature to your work, and so you know this, for lack of a better description, I mean it kind of it's like a bloke mobster movie in

the King Arthur world and very much your aesthetic. And so I'm curious if, like, was there ever a moment where you thought this aesthetic that you wanted to apply your trademark, that it might not fit the material. Yes, is the elnse to? That was my principal concern is that could I would it translate my vision, if you will? Or what would it congest the experience? Um? And my that was my principal concern. So two weeks into filming, your ask tends to go a bit where you start thinking.

And it's on every movie I've ever made, and I think it's a sort of necessary and healthy, but nevertheless an unpleasant experience. For two weeks you doubt yourself enormously. Um. And then somehow you rise out the ashes of that and the film then reveals itself. And my job is to steer the head of that tiger and to find a tone and then try and be consistent with that town and then relax and enjoy it. And the more you sort of relax and enjoy it, than the more

that voice can make itself clear. Um. So as we sort of thundered along, I felt as though it had its own identity that felt fresh, um, and I became more and more confident with it. If you will, is it? I mean you're you're very well taken care of and set up over at Warner Brothers. But still, was this a vision you had to fight for? When was there anyone that felt like, I would like this to maybe be a little more about the book. Not really, I mean I was saying this earlier. I've never really had

a fight with the studio because it seems pointless. There are so many things that can be answered just asking five people if you stick it in front of an audience. So a certain point, I wanted to not make my signature so obvious on the vision, if you will, are quite fancied becoming more anonymous. But as soon as we stuck it in front of a room for the five people, people wanted more of that, that signature that they were unfamiliar with who I was, but they were, oh, that stuff,

we really like that stuff. Can we have more of that stuff? And that was the stuff that spoke to him. So, I mean, I had my arsenal full of all those sort of shenanigans, which I I filmed anyway, and I truncated the three and a half hour moving down to two hours. Um, so me and the studio were all on the same page because it was obvious what people wanted, um, and I sort of needed people to confirm that that's what they wanted. UM, so we were all on board.

What do you think about just the test screening process in general? Is there something that I'm not opposed to it? Actually? Um, I would I wouldn't. I certain wouldn't it as much as people do do it. It's allo expensive to do it too, by the way, UM, and it's unnecessary to do it that much. I understand why some people are opposed to it. Sometimes it's a good way of solving an argument and being sure about what you're doing is the right thing to do this? You know, I'll put

some stuck in it, but not terrible amount. But it's not like a painful thing for you. An It's well, I'll tell you what I'd rather do it then than now. I want to be found out before I'm found out. Uh. I don't want to give too much away, but the opening scene of this film is like positively epic, and it kind of hints at I mean, it's like Lord of the Rings epic, and it hints at this overall universe really that it makes you feel like there's a lot of different ways you could go and telling stories

in this world. So just out of curiosity, I mean you've certainly bounced around within a franchise before with the Sherlock Holmes films. Is this the world you want to come back to? Would you want to tell more stories in King Arthur? I mean you set it up certainly, Yeah, I mean there. I don't think it's a film I've made that I never wanted to come back and make

another one. UM, this particularly in part because it's an enormous world, and you put a lot of effort into creating these worlds, and that's really the lie and share of the effort is creating the world. And I thought this movie to take a year and a half and here I am three years later. So after you put that much effort in, you go, I'll go back again. I love Charlie. Charlie Huntum was an absolute pleasure to work with. UM would not be cautious about jumping back

into the lines. Then with him, the process of making movies I adore, and in particular this one great fun, creatively challenging. UM. Yeah, I would, I would go back. What what do you think made it go from one and a half years to three years there was in light of what you were saying earlier, you are in such a congested market, trying to get a weekend in this market an unbranded product because in the in the end it is and arguably the branker sometimes hurt you,

um in this case. But we had to wait a year for one for the right we can't that wasn't didn't have anyone else on it. You've got guardians a week before. So it's still quite an unpleasant um position to take. But a year ago there were no positions, UM, and we came a bit unstuck on man from Uncle under the Summer a couple of years ago, UM, which I don't think we went at the right time. UM. And you're you're cautious about when you come out. You know, these things cost money to make and you need to

make your money back. So we had to wait a year. So in that year, I tink it around with the visual effects from another year, um, which is obviously in hindsight is and the year's worth of extra visual effects. And I'll tell you that makes a difference. It's funny what people will put up with, you know. Uh. So we did that and that was really it. I suppose

I sort of wrapped this wall. You'll you'll rinse it out as long as you can until you know when your date is you'll you'll leave the cut loose um so you can go in and tinker, go away, come back, go away, come back. Well while lock it until you know you have to lock it? Do you get yourself involved deeply at all? Just with visual marketing posters? Things like they're like, how how much do you get involved in that kind of stuff? Quite a lot, very good,

the studio coming to you, getting their input. It's a very much a two way street. They're they're very they're pros, you know, and they they are interested in the filmmakers version, and I've never witnessed and a thing to contradict that they're sympathetic to filmmakers. There's Warner Brothers in particular, and so they do everything they do, they sort of flag

past you and every not. But the thing is is that if that's what you do day in day out, it's hard to remain fresh, you remain creative, but to actually create something where it's an interesting campaign, it's very hard to do. And sort of spot for this Last Night, which comedy Central cobbled up. It's quite funny, is that Comedy Central. What's it called? It's called It's called something, isn't it? Arvant? Can you rememban what's called? It's called something? Anyway?

And it's Judelore and Charlie Annam taking the mickey out one another saying, um, you know King Arthur was justin very King, and Charlie Annam says, you know, go cause into some form of contradiction anyway. So they contradict each other all through it, and I got to telling it's a nice tone and Tony is everything, because if you get the tone of that, you get the tone of the movie. And in a way, do we care about three elephants in a trailer? I'm not sure if I do.

What I care more about is what's a tonality of the people that made the movie? And if I can, if that's on my frequency, they're on my frequency, I'll go and see it because I get the tone. So it's a combination I suppose of I want to see some escapism. I want to launch myself into a world that's fantastic in one of the that means that you and within that, what was it? What was it was

it called Throne Shade. Throne Shade anyway, it's funny. So within that, if you can dial into the tone, then you go, right, they got they got a few quid, they spent a bit of money throwing a foot elephant, and they're going to be that's the tone, right, And I to juxtaposition those tones because it's a big fantasy thing, right, and then you've got that sort of cheeky, chappy nonsense going on the side. It feels like a fresh tone

man to me. Um, I think so I captured that in that little spot, which must have cost all of interesting well. Yeah, and just regarding tone, also identity, I mean the identity of the film. Getting that across and the visuals is always a challenge for these departments. And uh, I felt like in the posters and stuff for this when you can see this is this is gonna be a guy Ritchie King Arthur film, you know, like you feel that that identity and these character posters and things

like that. So that's why I ask, like, what kind of involvement you have? You know, Yeah, they're they're they're smart those cause it's interesting, hey, you say, because I'm too a copy objective. Now we're regarding you know, just the idea of superhero movies. Uh. I mean, you know, you're, like I said, you're set up at Warner Brothers, And I mean, I'm just guessing that maybe they've come to you for some of these titles in the past that they're putting out there in the DC universe and stuff

like that. But what I'm curious about is you, you know, you maintain your own voice throughout your career, and so how do you feel about navigating that modern climate of all of these superhero movies. Do you feel like you might need to play that game at some point? Or like, how do you feel about a good question? Actually? And if I find a tone that I'll go, oh, I like that. Um, I quite fancy doing Suicide Squad two

because I thought I could do a good job with it. Um, so I'm up for I can't do it because I'm doing something else, But I'm not. I'm a guy that likes to work, so I'm gonna work and I'll work with whatever I can to make it work. I am not an absolutist about what a genre is, so I'm not a non man. I'm a yes man. When it comes to making something manifest. That said, I just wanted to be interesting. I wanted to feel fresh, I want

to feel different. I wanted to feel something that is worth me taking my fifteen dollar so John to the cinema and go that was worth it. That's it, that's it. Maybe suicide is quite three. Someone got to I don't think they've announced anybody actually now, but I felt as I could really do something with that. Uh, David Air, do you you guys friends at all? Do you know each other? Um? Speaking of not really no Aladdin, we talked about Aladdin briefly. Um, I just wanted to venture

out here a little bit. Aladdin is one of my favorite of the Disney animated films, but it's also one that from its release was criticized for just like disparaging stereotypes of Arabs and and we're in a very sensitive climate to that kind of thing right now. So I'm just curious if there's something that you get your eye

on at all with this project. No, no, no, because I find bigotry in all of its guys is and the PC world often where's the biggest, biggest hat or where is it the most proudly unaware of the hat that they're wearing. Decency is decency, Humanity is humanity, and I think the film will dictate exactly what the tone is supposed to be and who's supposed to be in it. You just don't want to feel like you're muscled into

it because you're bullied into it. It will be what it will be because it should be what it should be. It will have its own authentic voice, and you don't want that voice being contaminated by a PC army. How's that experience so far? I mean, these guys at Disney, they're like printing money by kind of going back to the well and reimagining their properties. I mean, I some

people feel like it's an original. I feel like, if you know that you're gonna put something out there and it's going to probably make a billion dollars and you own the property to begin with, why would you not do that? But you know, and I love I mean, it's more to it than that. I'm sure there is. Yeah, And I love Jungle Book, and I really liked Beauty and the Beast, and I'm very curious what you're gonna do with this because it's not something that I would

imagine you would be interested in doing. Frankly, doesn't immediately sound like something that guy Ritchie would do. I'll have five kids. Of course, I know more about kids movies than I do about any other movies, and in turn, I know more about Disney movies than any other brand of movies. So it's a it's a it's a wheelhouse of which I'm well familiar. Yeah, and I'm impressed with

the quality of children's product. I'm not necessarily as the children's product is early in the days for me to be able to articulate eloquently exactly what direction going in. What I do find exciting is it's a musical. They're fantastic people to work with. Um going ground there is like going into how I imagine sort of Google was five years ago. It's a load of very excited people that are very enthusiastic, and to me, it feels like

product in terms of a creative expression is primary. They're creative. The fact that's successful is secondary. What is primary is And this is my experience in the film business in general. I'm always amazed by the lack of twats I meet in this game. Um Ivan, who's a colleague of mine, who seeing next to next to me over there um here and I talked about this endlessly. How often do we meet someone that we dislike in this game? It's

a very short list. I'm not even sure if there's anyone on that list in the twenty years I've been in this game and in the studio game for the last ten years or so. There's no one. I'll tell you, there's no one. That's the lions share of people that are in this game. Money contaminates it, and money is the water. You know, you and I are men of the world. We understand why it's a necessary component. But the lion share of people that are in this business

are in it because it's fun and it's creative. And we were around there actually this morning. The the enthusiasm, it's palpable. I like that environment. Yeah, and and certainly not to diminish it with the talk of the money. I mean, these movies are pushing the medium. Jungle Book

obviously pushed the medium considerably. Beauty and the Beast there's a lot of interesting stuff going on with effects and inserts and stuff in that from what is there anything that you have your eye on, say, it's early days but you know, to really push this medium with what you're going to do and all that. Anything too early, too early, Yeah, it is, it's too early. It's just I have to tell you, I'm very excited by it,

you know. And we took this on before Beauty and Beauty was like a beast, um and no one could have anticipated that. I suppose. Um, it's just exciting. And the rumor mill has Will Smith It's name going around. I mean, can you have to tell you I'm a big fan of Will Smith. I am a big fan of Will Smith. I'm a big fan of the industry. Um. I think it's inspiring when things are unpredictable. I think, judging by your intro there, you probably feel the same way.

It's nice that the industry shook up a bit, and it feels a bit paid by none us at times. But it is what it is, and I'm interested in a lot of it. I've got a one year at at home. Actually, I've been obsessive, compulsively collecting the Disney Blue rays. Do you have a favorite of the lineage of animated titles? Well, I'm I'm it's quite long, actually, and that the films that I've been most impressed by

in the last ten years of probably kids movies. I'm HARKing back a long way, but I Tota Incredibles was rather spectacular. Have you seen my Wana? Okay? I think the one is a very impressive bit of filmmaking. And my kids know, and I've got three young ones. My five year old boy, who's like a real boy, knows five of those songs off by heart. They're catching, They're catching, They're good, They're good. I just like to be surprising,

impressed by people's work, and I am. And then last thing here, we were about a I guess a year away from Lockstock into smoking barrels, being twenty years old. If you can believe that, I remember seeing that when I was it was like a Charlotte, North Carolina art house called the Manner. I don't know if it's still there, shout out to Charlotte, but it was. It was a

lightning bolt. I mean, it was clear that there was this new, vibrant voice on the scene and it was right at the end of you know, an explosion of nineties independent filmmaking. Just what do you recall of that time? And kind of a cheesy question, but if if you went back and spoke to your twenty year younger self. What kind of advice might you have for that guy? I think everyone's on their own journey, So I'll deal with that in a second, because that's an it's an

interesting question. Um. But looking back now, doesn't that feel like an exciting period in cinema? And I'm not sure it's being replicated since it feels like we've moved in a different direction, um, And it doesn't feel as volatile as it did back then. There was a volatility in filmmaking. We're also in the filming which just come out from nowhere, left field and go how about some of that? And you felt it there was again a palpable aggression to

the expression. And it was a very exciting time for filmmakers. I went to film school in so it was like a very exciting time to beginning involved in all of that. Yeah, you know it, films became sort of interesting about one of a ninety two or ninety four or ninety five Tarantinos or led a charge and they just followed lots of fresh voices. Can you remember, like, oh, I remember it. It was it was a brilliant movie. Help me out here,

they made two of them. Get Shorty, Get Shorty when Yeah, it's such a Get Shorty was such a impressive film, and it felt so wild and charming. It had such an original spirit to it. But there were so many films at that time that had such an original spirit to it. They were in a different period. Um, aren't we now about if you went back in time and spoke to twenty year younger go Ritchie, Yeah, yeah, I

think you have. There's just no I mean often, are you in this game because you want to fully pockets full of dough? Or are you in this game because you want to be stimulated by creative challenges and you want to break new ground or whatever it is? And I think it's all of the above. Because if you don't keep your truly, if your pockets flush, nothing happens. If you get if your pockets become too flush, nothing happen. Pense. So there's this ongoing battle between money and creativity, comfort

and creativity that discomfort creates great and interesting things. And now, if I was replaying it, I could probably have played my cards more efficiently if I wanted to make more money. Um, but I don't think now I would have I would like that. I'd play them the way that you play them, because it's a bigger picture. The whole thing is a bigger picture, and you've got to roll over to the

fact that it's a bigger picture and keep working. And the older I get by the way, I have seen people that keep working, and they should start working, or at least for a bit. Clearly it's a compulsion, and that someone that's just wake him up out of that little hypnoses what is it. It's a spell of some description, and just because they're better than that. So some people didn't slow down, and some people need to speed up. But as you grow, your movies grow and your interests change.

But I do like a man that keeps. I do like a chef that keeps going back in the kitchen. It's easy to stay out of kitchen and wait for the perfect project. I would rather take the imperfect project and fashion it into something that is exhilarating in my I mean, I had to, I gotta tell you, I like my movies. I go I pretty much forget that I made the movie after I've made it, and I

end up watching them on TV. And you know, I'm sitting there having a beer and what I got my feet up and one of my movies comes on, Drift Out, Go for a pee, come back, and then oh no, that's fun. And then I mean for like fifteen minutes, and I have absolutely no recollection that I had anything to do with it at all. And if someone walked in, what you watch your own movies, sport guy, I'll go, oh did I make it? Um? I'm sure I'm going with that. But anyway, that's a yeah. Do you want

to scale back at all? You've been working on a bigger canvas lately with some of these films. Do you want to scale back and go smaller like in the fancy bit of TV? Yeah? I do. I'm writing a series at the moment um which I'm enjoying enormously, which is sort of reminiscent of my earlier career. Um, and I'm really enjoying that. I'm sure people would like to know,

actually if we if we will go to Sherlock Colms three. Yeah, I mean there's like I said, there isn't that movie that I've made that I didn't want to make a sequel to. So I think if the stars a line, then we'll go back to work but I'll tell you it's quiet. You're trying to line them stars. I'm sure, yeah, indeed. Well again, the movie is King Arthur Legend of the Sword. It is twelve. That's why I looked over and asked twelve. But you'll can see it on the fourteenth too, if

you want, uh go check it out. And Guy Richie, thanks for coming on my show man. I really appreciate it. Thank you very much. Why is the water dropped it? Why does the sword reveal itself? Now? Are you worried? Chriss somewhat? As you healthy, I've not had any power or any desire to achieve it. M. That's all the fuss is about. Don't worry, Girst soon understand what all the fusses about. Be scared? I think I can manage. He shouldn't be scared. Never it takes to hunt him,

do so I go down to follow him. If he goes down to follow him, you want him to think by giving something you can think about. You wanted the property. This is your proxy, the man who puts for from start the whole nor phone to take