Spanish writer/director Nacho Vigalondo has been carving out a reputation for intimately told and wildly imaginative stories with films like the mind-bending mystery Timecrimes, the chilling thriller Open Windows, and his upcoming--and already acclaimed--Kaiju comedy Colossal. But what would this visionary filmmaker do if he had a big budget and studio backing? For one thing, he'd put the Supercrooks adaptation back on track, and he'd gladly take a run at an Alien sequel.
Screen Rant had the pleasure of sitting down with Vigalondo following Colossal's debut at SXSW. We'll be bringing you more from that rich interview closer to that fantastic film's theatrical release. But first let's dive into he and Mark Millar's plans for the adaptation of their co-written comic, Supercrooks. The series centers on an Ocean's Eleven-like heist pulled off by a team of super-villains. Even before the books hit store shelves in 2012, Vigalondo was attached to helm a movie version.
Asked if Supercrooks is still on the table, Vigalondo stated:
"I am still in talks with Mark Millar. We are desperate to do something together. I really love the guy. But with Supercrooks, it's a studio film. Studio films: it happens or it doesn't happen. Sometimes it happens with another filmmaker. So far, I don't know if it's going to happen. At this point I don't have the power to just raise studio movies by myself. Maybe it could happen. It's a story that I love. That would be just pure fun, pure unapologetic fun."
Should it come together, Supercrooks would follow in the footsteps of Millar's other comics-turned-movies, Wanted, Kick-Ass, and Kingsman: The Secret Service. Which means, both his and Vigalondo's movies are typically R-rated. So should fans anticipate an R-rated Supercrooks if studio backing fell into place? Not necessarily. "Supercrooks can be nicer," Vigalondo said. "It's an R-rated comic. If you read the comic book, it's really aggressive. But you can pull it in, because it’s a heist film. A heist film doesn't need to be R-rated."
Thankfully, with the success of R-rated superhero movies like Logan, Vigalondo isn't ready to give up on Supercrooks. He shared:
"I feel like we are approaching a gold-age of mainstream films. When you see the reactions to Logan, the John Wick film, Atomic Blonde, Baby Driver, it's something everybody loves. It's like you can make really smart and beautiful mainstream movies and people will accept them. I think that could happen. That would be great. I think the turn started with Mad Max: Fury Road. That movie changed the whole thing for many people."
So if he could get that studio pull, and pick his dream project, what would it be? After a moment of thought, Vigalondo declared his deep love of Ridley Scott's Alien, and his wish to helm one of its upcoming sequels. "Would I love to make an Alien sequel? Of course. That would be amazing. But does the world want to see my Alien sequel? I'm not sure."
For the record: based on what we've seen from Vigalondo, we'd watch his Alien sequel before you could say Colossal.
Look for more from our interview with Vigalondo in the coming weeks.
