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Walking Dead producer Gale Anne Hurd is currently prepping up to bring us another badass project, a movie based on Toei Animation's Japanese giant robot anime Gaiking. Not only has Hurd worked on The Walking Dead series, but she's also brought us the Terminator, Aliens, and The Incredible Hulk films. The producer recently sat down with Collider and discussed the production time frame, how it stacks up to its rival projects (Robotech, Pacific Rim, Gigantor, and Voltron), visual effects, and more..
On the current status of the project:
We just closed the deal (with Toei and Al Nippon Entertainment) and we are out to writers as we speak.
On a production timeline:
Its early on, I’d hate to do that before the writers have an opportunity to look at the material and sit down with me. I don’t think we want it to look like something you’ve already seen on screen before. As you know, if you know Gaiking, it’s really the character driven part of it that’s so compelling to all of us. It’s more important to get the right writer and the right take than it is to do something in a particular timeframe.
On how it will stack up to its rival projects Pacific Rim, Robotech, Gigantor, and Voltron:
I’ve been first and second. I did Armageddon, there was also Deep Impact and we ended up being the most successful movie at the box office that year in the world even though we were second. I also did Dante’s Peak. There were three underwater films released when we made The Abyss. I think the most important thing is to make the best film you can.
On if special effects and R&D have begun:
Oh, absolutely. You don’t want people to look at something and think that was a fantastic special effect. Visual effects now you really feel as if you can reach out and touch, whether it’s a creature’s face or a machine.
On whether Toei and Al Nippon support what her production company Valhalla is doing with the project:
We’ve all agreed on which writers we’re going to go out to and I always like my partners to be happy but I think they will support the direction that we want to go.
