I am Adi Shankar, Producer of The Grey, Dredd, Killing Them Softly, & the short film Punisher: #DirtyLaundry. AMA!

I loved Dredd. Will it have a sequel?

Probably not. But I am working on a Dredd short in the vein of #DirtyLaundry ... you're actually the first person to know about this ...

Sorry to hear that! I loved Dredd! I haven't liked any recent "action" type movies, but I loved Dredd.

Thank you. If DREDD becomes a cult hit it will be awesome. Last September was a terrible month ... DREDD bombed and then LOOPER became a massive hit a week later!

Love Dredd, awesome action. Even got my wife to watch it and she loved it!

thank you =)

Yeah I don't like the idea or concept of the Dredd thing in comics or anything, but far out that movie was spectacular. I went in with low expectations and came out mind blown.

AMAZING soundtrack too - that is the only soundtrack I have ever listened to for any movie ever more than once.

I think you turned cheesy into epic with that movie.

=). Yeah the rock score is cool. In a lot of ways Dredd reminds me of Drive. Both are stylish yet simple stories that are well told. Drive just had high brow marketing.

Dredd had some incredible cinematography. Did you have any part in that?

No. Anthony Dod Mantle was the cinematographer.

Honestly I really didn't like Drive so you get my +1 for Dredd :-). Cyberpunk is always the best.

Cyberpunk rules ... I like steampunk too.

Its cult among my friends. I watched it and recomended they buy a copy with twenty people or so... plus bar recomendations. I love this film. Needs a sequel.

Agreed! The Dredd short will be dope though ...

Dredd was an awesome movie, we must have a sequel. Looper was good, but a bit slow in the middle. I almost didn't finish it, glad I did as the ending was good. But that middle bit dragged on too much. Dredd was solid from start to finish.

Thanks man. Rian Johnson is the man though.

If I may ask, do you have anything against Looper? Or are you just noting that both were action sci-fi movies and Dredd happened to bomb (even though it was great, thoroughly enjoyed it)

Nothing against LOOPER! I think Rian Johnson is a genius and I think Joseph Gordon Levitt will become his generation's Matt Damon. Ram Bergman, the movie's real producer, is one of the nicest guys in Hollywood. I would tell you how I really felt about the movie's financier James D. Stern but I think I'd get into trouble ... However, most importantly I loved watching Looper.

I saw it in theaters because I heard it was gritty and violent. It is on my wishlist to buy.

"I saw it in theaters because I heard it was gritty and violent." I wish more movie goers said that.

Please, tell me an entire marketing team was fired due to Dredd's poor box office. It was a very, very good film, it just suffered from terrible marketing and branding (like adding 3D to the title).

Ugh sooooooooooooooooooo agree with you RE adding 3D to the title. Ewww.

It's too bad, man. Dredd was one of the best action movies in recent times. It deserved a trilogy.

I agree with you on the deserving a trilogy part ... well at least I'm working on a Dredd short ...

Yeah... I have to say, any film that has 3D in the title automatically turns me off.

It just screams "B-Movie". Dredd was fantastic, though.

Thank you. It also screams gimmick which is sad because the 3D in Dredd was so not a gimmick.

Sad! But it's good to hear a short is in the works. If it's as good as DirtyLaundry I'll be thrilled.

I hope so!

Would you be able to give more background on why it is really unlikely to see a Dredd sequel. There is a solid fanbase and willing actors, even if there is still a lower budget..

it's because the movie totally bombed & R-rated movies are a tough sell to begin with.

Yeah, due to my girlfriend I didn't get to watch Dredd :\ sad thing. Were you sure not to show his face like the last Dredd movie ?!

Dredd's face wasn't shown

Oh great! I'm glad, the last one with Stallone really ruined it when his face was shown

I mean, you know what stallone looks like. But dropping the helmet 3 minutes in was out of character.

Yeah it was a completely different movie with the wrapper of the Judge Dredd comics.

Seeing as everyone has been madly speculating about Firefly and Serenity since that Kickstarter for Veronica Mars was a huge success, maybe that could be a possible route?

the problem is a scifi project is intrinsically more expensive that a walking & talking movie ... Veronica Mars only raised $2mil ... which is a lot of money but not nearly enough to make a good sci-fi movie.

are there any plans for making a rated R Punisher movie

I would obviously love for that to happen, but sadly no. Marvel and thereby Disney own the rights. The short film I made was essentially a fan film. Lionsgate made the last two Punisher movies. Feel free to email Marvel and tell them that they should do it.

In the same hopes is there any chance of seeing another Punisher short?! I loved DirtyLaundry! I think this format can work alot better for this type of hero. The origin story thing can be pretty interesting and fun; but, after that the character is best expressed in short story just as original comicbooks gave short stories opening and closing in a single issue. I always loved the hardened "don't-give-a-shit" character that goes out of his way to still do the right thing and walk off into the dirty cityscape. (same could be said for Dredd really..)

p.s. - I would love to see you do a Terror Inc. short...

Terror Inc would be dope. No more shorts for The Punisher though ... I made the statement I wanted to make with the character already ... I hope #DirtyLaundry gets a cult following on the net ...

Actually here's the deal ... I'm a life long comic book fan ... The Punisher character comes with his own baggage and is essentially a two dimensional vigilante named Frank Castle ... I don't think the world needs another Punisher movie (we've had 3 bad ones). What I think the world needs is Thom Jane playing a badass, Phil Joanou kinetic directing, and Chad St. John's subversive writing style ... I think a Punisher cameo in Avengers 2 would be awesome though ...

The Grey was such an underrated movie, it was so good and the place of it was quite amazing. Do you have plans to make a movie similar to the grey?

yes! I'd also love to work with Joe Carnahan (the director) again. He's so talented.

What was your favorite film to produce?

It was the short film #DirtyLaundry. If you haven't seen it already I've put a link below. I enjoyed it because we made it over 3 days and we essentially made it for ourselves. I'm a huge comic book geek so I got to geek out and also the director Phil Joanou has become one of my good friends in Los Angeles as a result of the short. Finally, the short was a big fuck you to the system and I like telling the system to go fuck itself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWpK0wsnitc

Was it hard to produce the movie Machine Gun Preacher with the emotional story?

Yes I think in a lot of ways the movie suffers from the fact that it is a true story. The movie is really about addiction.

Hey man, loved Dredd, it was what a Judge Dredd movie should have been.

So I have a vague idea of the answer to this, but I'd love for you to expand upon it a little: what exactly does a producer do?

Also how involved are you in the creative process of a film?

It depends on the movie and it depends on who your partners are. Also, the job of an independent producer (like myself) and a studio producer are very very different. It would take me around 2hrs to answer this question properly. By way of example, for the FEMALE EXPENDABLES I generated the project and have been guiding it creatively every step along the way. For #DirtyLaundry Phil Joanou, Thomas Jane, and Chad St. John did all the work =).

How do you think the film industry will evolve over the next few years?

1. Routine interest movies like Bullet to the Head and Dead Man Down will die.
   
2. Theatrical movies will become almost exclusively franchise, brand, and thereby commerce driven.
   
3. The concept of the movie star will continue to mean less and less until we don't have any left.
   
4. The next evolution of TV (i.e. Netflix Original Programming) will drive the next wave of artistic integrity and push our industry forward.
   

Completely agree with #3- wouldn't be surprised to see that happen. It'd be cool to see if current movie stars like Pitt & Clooney sell their likeness so down the road they're just recreated digitally.

Agreed. However, we already have multiple digital stars with Mickey Mouse being the first one.

I don't get it. Why would this happen?

1. It costs a lot to go to the movie theater.
2. It costs a lot to get a movie into theaters.
   
3. There is a clear distinction today between "celebrity" and "actor" ... this line was blurred in the past.
4. Basic home theater technology built into a TV is awesome and streaming gives us access to a ridiculous amount of content at home.
   

What are your thoughts on the disturbing subreddit /r/spacedicks?

I think it's indicative of our times. We are trying to understand this thing called the internet and we are exploring it in different ways and sometimes that exploration can be strange.

I.....I think...you just explained spacedicks. Well done, friend.

Thanks man. I have this problem where I try to intellectualize everything. It annoys my friends and women think I'm weird. At least it was useful in this setting =).

Killing Them Softly was my favorite film of 2012. What was working with Andrew Dominick like? Any thoughts on art house crime films?

He marches to the beat of his own drum in the best of ways. Andrew doesn't strive to be an instrument of our consumerist mosh pit and I respect him immensely for it. Art house crime films will eventually become main stream TV.

Thanks for the reply, one last question, How did 1984 Private Defense Contractors get it's name?

1984 - because of the book P.D.C. - because it sounds awesome and is more interesting than 'films' or 'entertainment'

For sure, really awesome/memorable company name and the title logo as well.

Thanks man. I got a lot of weird looks at first ... now that I think of it ... I still do.

are you in a relationship?

No I haven't been in a relationship in over 4 and a 1/2 years. I used to be really good at talking to women and now I suck at it. Dating in Los Angeles is really messed up.

maybe try men? :p

umm i get that a lot ... have you seen my hair?

yeah its awesome! why?

ha ha thanks.

Why?!! because it is awesome!! that's the reason it is awesome!

thanks =)

The Grey was the most intense theater experience of my life. I sat a bit too close, I was a bit too high, the movie was a bit too bright white, and it was FAR more psychologically jarring than I had anticipated.

I was expecting Liam Neeson (from Taken) vs. Wolves. It transcended that, so thank you.

I don't really have any questions; I just wanted to thank you for a movie that has stayed with me in a chilling, spine-shivering, inspiring way. That poem is seared in my mind.

Joe Carnahan is such a awesomely talented director. I am lucky to have my name on The Grey. What was awesome was that when the movie went into production we had no US distribution ...

I couldn't agree more. I was blown away.

May I ask though- Was the intention always to have The Grey be so instantly dark and psychological? The first death from the plane crash- I almost had to leave the theater. It was too real.

yes it was Joe Carnahan's vision all the way ... the dude's one of the best directors in Hollywood.

what is your favourite film?

Hard question to answer, I would have an easier time answering what my top 10 fav movies are. I'm going to say The Warriors (1979). It's badass and has a unique look and feel. The movie still holds up today.

What is some of your favorite gritty, rated R films? Besides the ones you have worked on, of course.

Robocop, The Warriors, Roadwarrior, Escape from New York, They Live, Akira, The Game, Planet Terror (one of the best experiences in a theater), Equilibrium, Logan's Run (not R rated but would be today I guess).

What was your initial goal with Dirty Laundry and was the studio okay with using Thomas Jane?

The goal was just to make it and to make something that we all felt was really good. There was no studio behind it. I distributed it on my YouTube channel. Everyone worked for free. It was a lot of fun. I had no idea that people would respond to it the way that they did. I'm a life long comic book fan and I really wanted to make something cool for my fellow fans.

Since you like Escape From New York, what are your thoughts on the news about Joel Silver planning to remake the film?

Here's the thing ... I don't think Escape from New York should be remade ... it's already been remade when it was called DOOMSDAY. What people love about the movie is the aesthetic and the character of Snake Plissken ... I'm afraid it will end up like TOTAL RECALL.

I'm not hopeful ...

I heard that you work directly with Riley Adamson, how is that exactly? Also, is there any way you could you get me his autograph?

I dunno ... he's a busy dude ...

Well, that's ok I guess. Thanks anyways, mister.

P.S.-Dirty laundry was rad as balls.

Thanks bro!

Hey can you tell Riley Adamson hi for me?

yes

What inspired you to make Dredd the way you did? I can't stop watching the movie. There is something about it that's grim and surreal at the same time.

Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Sunshine) wrote the script. He's one of the best writers out there. What's cool about Dredd is that it's essentially a Die Hard-esque story which happens to have Dredd in it. It's also not a cliche super hero origin story movie. In it's own way the idea was to evolve the super hero genre.

Dredd seems somehow more 'real'. I don't know what it is but more heroes need to be vulnerable the way he is.

One more thing ... I love love love Robocop.

A lot of the films you work on seem to fall victim to terrible marketing, The Grey and Dredd especially. How do you feel about that?

Dude it totally totally blows. I disagree that The Grey was mis marketed though. Open Road (the distributor) did an awesome job (I think). It's tough when you're making independent movies because you need distribution and you are almost always at the distributor's mercy. It's good for the business that new non-studio distributors (like FilmDistrict and OpenRoad) are popping up and exclusively looking for third party product.

If you could make any film, what would it be and why? (regardless of budget, etc) edit- DREDD and #dirtylaundry were awesome, I loved em. Thank you.

I would like to make a retro futuristic sequel to ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK called 'Snake Plissken Returns.' I love the look and feel of that world and would like to explore the character of Snake further. He's the man with no name for my generation. Joel Silver just announced that he was rebooting ESCAPE FROM NY yesterday ... so with that in mind I'd like to make the DREDD version of The Phantom. The Phantom was my father's favorite comic when he was growing up. I also think GHOST RIDER was whack and would love to re-imagine it.

You should do another Punisher short, it was very well received online and was a damn fine short as well.

I'd like to think another one one might the ball rolling on getting Frank back in a better Punisher film. Unfortunately I know as a fan film you guys cant really make any revenue off your work but after 'Dirty laundry' you could always get a little support of Kickstarter.

You guys really made something splendid and It'd be worth putting out a second entry. Well, if everyone's schedules don't conflict.

Thank you so much! That really means a lot to all of us. I feel bad asking fans for money though that's why I never did the whole KickStarter thing after I released the short.

Well its not like you have to ask for $100k to do research on video games to research "anti feminist tropes".

I always figured that based on what you guys did with Dirty Laundry showing Frank as someone who is moving on with his life(in his own way) you have more options to explore with him as a character.

I very much got the "cowboy drifter who passes through towns trying to get by" vibe and thought it was a much closer fit, as well as a more interesting way to tell stories with him.

very astute of you! The whole short is structurally a western ... Ron Pearlman is the bar tender in the saloon ... and Gold Tooth is the local black hat ... so on and so forth.

Any chance you can run a kickstarter for a Dredd sequel? Dredd ranks among my favorite action movies of all time, and I would LOVE to see more of it!

I'm making a Dredd short film ...

What is Thomas Jane like in real life? Is he a badass?

Yes. He's awesome. He'd make an awesome producer.

What was your journey like towards working on big budget / kick ass projects - What do you feel was your personal "breakthrough" moment from wanting to work on these kinds of films to "living" it? And lastly, where do you want to go from here?

No journey is the same and I love hearing people's "success" moments.

Wow. The truth is I've had so many of these moments in little spurts. There is varying levels of success in this business, no such thing as "making it," and I'm always struggling. I feel lucky to be where I'm at ... especially at my age.

I can imagine. I was sold on supporting what you and your colleagues do on the whole, "thinking man's action film" approach a while back.

It's cool seeing what the new generation of filmmakers are bringing to the table.

Another Q: what's your producing job look like - are you more involved leading up to production, work on set, overall creative? Also sure it may vary from film to film. It's just one of those more "ambiguous" posititon titles and can mean so many different things.

Ha ha thank you so much. I try. I'm trying to be a voice of change in this business. Overall the job is totally different every time so it's a really tough job to answer. I'm trying to generate more projects with my friends, with the FEMALE EXPENDABLES being one such example. Also, the job of the producer keeps evolving every few months which as you can imagine leads to overwhelming amounts of insecurity.

Ha! At least a director or dop or crew position has a relatively similar job from gig to gig :P Def doesn't help the feeling of security.

My colleague and I are heavily interested in the new wave of distribution (VOD and what not) and creating quality content for those markets - being Canadian makes it a little difficult to do anything on the scale of your guys films budget wise. Essentially, we're making as "non-Canadian" films as possible, lol. I say it with love, of course. How is it dealing with the money folks? Have you been able to surround yourself with a group of creatively similar investors or is there a lot of caution to tread in the direction of "smart" action? Is there much of a "wall" to push against by doing films that aren't as candy-coated, story-less-important-than-the-amount-of-shit-that-blows-up movies that get churned out? Our problem is "it's not Canadian enough" for the financing system. They don't like the "commercial" drive as much it seems. :(

Dude it's a challenge regardless of the scale =(

I really feel you made three of the best films of 2012 in Dredd, Killing Them Softly and The Grey. All of them were stunning new takes on old genres, do you think in the current environment that genre and concept can be a stronger selling point than star casting?

Yes 100%, 'movie stars' & fame don't really matter anymore. I think the reality stars have re-calibrated the illusion of fame for the general public and as such movie concepts are far more important than cast. Silver Linings Playbook would have been a mega it with or without Bradley Cooper, Zero Dark Thiry was sold on concept alone, Django was a Tarintino movie, Batman sold The Dark Knight. On the flip side certain actors are branded in specific genres, for example, guys like Jason Statham and Liam Neeson are branded in the action genre but those guys are few and far between and I don't know it their 'stardom' would translate into a drama or a broad comedy.

I totally agree. It seems like a strong key to reducing costs and placing resources in creating a striking environment that hooks the eye, all built around a beautiful screenplay and commitment to craft. I remember seeing the trailer for 'Killing Them Softly" and being drawn in far more by Dominik's visual poetry (HUGE fan of 'Chopper') and by the pulp crime genre - Brad Pitt was a nice bonus.

I'd like to see the return to prominence of the $10-15m action movie - The Warriors, Dirty Harry, Death Wish, etc.. I think you're pretty much single-handedly making it happen, and you have my appreciation and respect. As a filmmaker I really hope our paths cross some day! Congrats, and all the future success!

Thank you. That means a lot. Truly.

If you could produce any movie you wanted right now with complete control over how it turns out and profits be damned, what movie would you make?

I'd go back in time and remake Source Code with Phil Joanou directing it ... I LOVED that script but then it got destroyed with studio notes ... it went from being a sic-fi classic to a routine interest movie ...

You keep using the term "routine interest movie". What do you mean by that?

It means movies that aren't trying to be great ... they are middle of the road, are generally rehashes of earlier movies, and full of cliches ... they also don't try to challenge the audience. Examples of routine interest movies: The Call, Bullet to the Head, Total Recall (the remake), Scary Movie, Daredevil, Katherine Heigl romantic comedies, Adam Sander movies from the last 10 years.

As a producer, how do you come across new scripts and new ideas? Is it usually a writer pitching to you, or does a director come to you with a script and say "We should make this?"

So many different ways. Sometimes it's my idea. Sometimes it's a writers and sometimes it's a directors ...

do you like chocolate?

I love love love chocolate. My fav chocolate is Flake.

Would sketch comedy and shorts hold up in a producer/writer's portfolio? Also, #DirtyLaundry was legit.

Thanks bro. I'm not sure about sketch comedy because I'm not in the comedy world. However, because of how the industry is changing small things like YouTube hits can be monumental for your career. I've been saying this to people for the past 5 years ... the next generation of "movie stars" are going to come from the internet. Our generation can create our own opportunities like generations before us never had the ability to.

what music are you into?

I'm ashamed of my music taste and horrified every time I forget to make my Spotify private. I love Hanson, Savage Garden, Jessica Simpson, Hilary Duff, Britney Spears. Don't judge.

P.S. I also really like 80's music like Bette Davis Eyes.

This is an interesting list, but there is no shame in that, all those artists are good at what they do and are well known for a reason.

I listend to All Saints - Pure Shores 50 times last night.

Hey Adi! Thanks for doing this AMA

I'm a big fan of Killing Them Softly, it's just my type of movie. Any plans on working on films similar to this one?

Yes! I'm working on two right now! THE VOICES starring Ryan Reynolds is a serial killer movie from the perspective of the serial killer. It starts shooting in April. CORSICA 72 is a period gangster movie ... it looks like CORSICA will go in September but fingers crossed.

Also ... this AMA is awesome and than you for interacting with me! I wish more people would like it =/ ... but this is such a cool tool.

Is there anyone in the industry that you would consider your "dream" person to work with?

James Van Der Beek.

How did you start in this business?

Ummm ... honestly ... it still feels like I'm starting ... I'm not removed enough right now to really look back and understand the last 5 years, but it involved getting the rights to/developing a script.

another question - sorry for annoying you - any recommendations for how you would look at budgeting a script?

I wrote one script recently (normally write plays) and was trying to see if I could do it as low budget as possible (theoretically of course) - when I stand back to look at it it just seems way out of the realm of possibilities

I chose not to do it as found footage type but another filmmaker on here recommended trying to do that - as in rewrite the whole thing as one

How do you approach budgeting before anything, is it innate or do you follow a specific formula?

Keep the movie in 1 location or at least 70% of the movie in 1 location. Don't have too many characters and write a genre movie not a drama.

What's one thing you think everyone should try once?

Owning a pet.

I'm a film student an really love the films of yours that I've seen. Any chance on getting an internship on your next project?

you have to apply through your film school ... for legal reasons I can't personally give them out =/

Dredd was amazing and #DirtyLaundry made me fuckin week. I have showed it off to EVERYBODY. I'm sorry Dredd bombed, if the Blu-ray sales are godly is there any chance of say, a SECOND Dredd short film? I realize I'm jumping the gun but I'm sure it will be incredible.

It would be a lot of fun. Highly unlikely though. I am working on a Dredd short film thought so look out for that.

Would you be willing to answer a few questions about copyright for a project I have to do? It would help me out a lot (And shouldn't be difficult at all!)

Sure ... fire away ... I'm not a lawyer though.

Awesome, if you don't have a good answer to some of the questions it's all good.

Can you give me some background on what you do?

How is copyright normally involved in your line of work?

How has copyright personally affected you?

Do you think our copyright system is fair? If not, who gets the better end of the deal?

How do you think copyright laws will change in the future, especially with the upswing of pirating?

Since you mentioned you aren't a lawyer, how do people in the production side generally view copyright violations? Do you think it is such a bad thing that people who can't shell out money for all of the many entertainment options available today?

Are you familiar with Creative Common Licenses?

If so, what is your thoughts on them, and can they have a substantial role in the future?

Also, I'm going to publish this on my website (It's only a class website, the only traffic it gets is me) using a creative common license, so let me know if that's okay.

P.S. Dredd was awesome! and I saw Dirty Laundry a few days ago… that is some serious violence!

1. Copyright is the lynchpin that drives the movie business. Movie studios have value only because they control film libraries and they control these libraries because they control the copyright to the films.

2. I do think copyright law favors corporations over consumers, but having said that the internet has been the great equalizer for my generation. I actually wrote my senior thesis (which I never turned in) on why Western copyright law is a joke. Thankfully the courts have historically had the foresight to favor the side of technology over trying to protect incumbent but dying industries otherwise whale oilers would have declared electricity illegal.

3. No I don't think piracy is a bad thing when you can't afford to pay for entertainment options or have access to them. When I was little I grew up in Hong Kong and had very limited access to media ... then Napster happened and I began my cultural awakening ... I wouldn't be a movie producer today if it weren't for Napster and all the subsequent file sharing technologies that emerged after it ... file sharing allowed me access to a plethora of media and the ability to determine my own taste. It is said that the mark of a great producer is great taste. Whether or not I have good taste or bad taste is up for debate but I only have my taste because of my access to file sharing as a kid.

That's very interesting that you can indirectly attribute your career path to file sharing, considering it is the ultimate threat to your industries success in the long run.

How is copyright law different in other parts of the world and why is it better than Western copyright law?

Also, how does copyright affect the work that you do? Do you ever have a perfect song in mind or something along those lines that you just can't use because you can't get the rights to it?

And is it okay to use a Creative Common License for your answers, and perhaps an image of you? I need this permission for the assignment :)

You've been a great help. I'll make sure to see your next movie in theaters brotha

Yes you have my permission to use what I said and a picture for your assignment.

thanks you're the man

No you are for asking such a good question! If your law school friends have any more questions have them post.

First off, I'm a fan of all of your films, thanks for doing this AMA. The question:

If Jamie Foxx was up for a new Spawn film, is that something you would be up for producing?

Yes with our without Jamie Foxx. Todd McFarlane is a friend of mine and we have literally been talking about doing this movie for 4 years now. Harass him and tell him to finally give me the rights ... I'd make a dope Spawn film ...

What was your initial impression when you first heard Norwegian Wood?

I'm sorry I don't know what that is

I loved your short DirtyLaundry! and I've honestly watched Dredd about 65 times or more now. Still love it every time (big fan of the comicbook for a long time and I think everyone involved nailed the movie!)

What would you think about moving forward with doing more shorts? for Dredd (More than just the one short you are working on now of course^{really excite for it}) I really feel that these are the way to go for the types of characters such as Dredd and The Punisher. I would also recommend making these more affordable by crowdsourcing the production of each one or a series. I would say there is a big enough fanbase to create these types of shorts with characters people are already invested in or with characters that fit into the short story format which a bunch of "loner" comicbook characters do. I really hope you and those you work with consider this option. Crowdsourcing for these projects is the same as you and your friends making it for yourselves to geek-out about, just a larger group of friends. Thanks a lot for your past work and anything you have coming in the future!

thank you so much =). I honestly really appreciate your kind words. I live in such a bubble that I don't get to interact with people who are genuinely fans at all. Truthfully, I feel really bad asking fans for money ... I understand that VERONICA MARS used KickStarter effectively to get a movie green lit, but I just feel bad about it ...

So what type of system could we work out that you and others like you in the same position? I (and I'm sure others like me) would love to help in any way we can to see these types of films come to life. I would offer services if I could; being as I work in Chicago, far from where you and your cohorts work, and cannot not travel to help let alone have the experience to lend a hand in any of the post work for these types of projects, I most likely can't help. The sad thing is there are A LOT of people out there that greatly desire this type of media about characters they are invested in; but, there are very few with the position and the ability (like you and others in your company) to put these ideas into reality. Its not taking our money; Its the fans coming together for a common goal. We need to depend on those who have the ability to execute our ideas. For a reference you can look at what the comedy troupe has done with SMBC Theater. The crowd sourced enough to create a completely funded SPACE_OPERA. I feel like fan funded material will continue to rise in different media just as original content (like what Netflix is doing) will rise as a prominent form of media deployment.

Okay you know what, I really need to look into this crowd sourcing stuff.

P.S. Chicago is awesome. I went to school there. Best time of my life (minus the cold).

Are you looking for anybody to work for you?

Yes I'm actually looking to hire two people a development executive and a production executive.

Hey Adi.

I loved The Grey, and #dirtylaundry; but The Grey's cliffhanger keeps me hoping for a The Grey 2.... Is there one in the works?

edit: spelling

Nope. I like the idea of a gritty tv series though.

I love The Grey. Is there going to be a sequel?

No. I like the idea of a gritty tv series though. I feel like a sequel would be cheesy.

I don't really have any questions, all I have to say is that I'm jealous of your resume. Keep up the good work!

Thank you. I have to say the grass is always greener on the other side though. I get jealous of other producers/actors/directors all the time.

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No. I'm a huge Guy Ritchie fan but Andrew Dominik has his own style. Watch his first movie CHOPPER.

I am Indian and have a short written by a famous writer thats a gritty R-rated film with violence and 5 minutes long.

Pleaaaase let me pitch it to you if possible.

I'm sorry but I can't do that =( ... legal reasons prohibit me from hearing pitches from people unrepped.

Hi Adi, I love every project that you've worked on and I've seen! You definitely have an eye for identifying good projects and I'm guessing you're not a half bad producer if you keep rocking such major titles. So thank you for helping make these films so awesome!

What I would love to know is if you have advice for a fresh producer like myself who's in a unique situation? I moved to the States from Israel not to long ago on a student visa to do a master's in production and now I'm in LA trying to get in. Obviously you gotta start at the beginning, but no company I talked to so far is willing to give sponsorship for entry level positions. So as a producer with tons of experience, what would you recommend for someone like myself to try and do? Thank you so much :)

In all honestly. You should use your time here to meet as many people as possible. Then you should return to Israel and produce movies there. Local language and local market productions are the future of this business. Hollywood will only have a strangle hold on big budget productions for a finite amount of time. Also, most of the best movies I've seen recently from both a storytelling standpoint and from a production value standpoint have been foreign films.

Can you give an emerging producer some advice: got a reel of short films produced outside the industry and looking to move to LA, what should I do to prep for LA and what should be doing as soon as I arrive?

To prepare for Hollywood: Go back to high school as a freshmen. If you can go through all four years manipulating your way into being the most popular kid in your year then you'll do just fine in Hollywood.

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Ha ha ha ha absolutely not ... I'd only make that movie with Val Kilmer

If you could produce your dream movie, regardless of political or copyright issues that might make that impossible (like getting Disney to O.K. an R rated Star Wars for example). What would it be?

ok dude it would totally be an R-Rated contained Boba Fett movie. It would be DREDD set in the world of Star Wars with Boba Fett instead of Judge Dredd.

Is there any way for movies like DREDD to make their money back / become a success after they go through their theater run? It's always seemed silly to me that a movie's success or failure boils down to opening weekend box office and a few weeks in cineplexes when there are so many other ways people digest movie content nowadays.

Just wanted to add I loved all your movies (and checking out machine gun killer now) and hope you keep fighting the good fight!

Agree with you. That's why the theatrical model is dying ... VOD is the future.

How did you get into the movie business?

I worked my ass off and got lucky at the same time.

yo the ending for the grey sucked dick, the movie was pretty good though. this isn't a question just thought i'd give you my opinion

Did you stay till after the credits?

In "Dredd", where was Armande Assante and Sly? I felt cheated.

Dude ... It was a reboot