This week saw the release of Oculus to Blu-ray and DVD, and I caught up with director Mike Flanagan for a brief chat to discuss Oculus, the chances of a sequel, and his upcoming adaptation of Gerald's Game:
I think the casting of Karen Gillan was a wonderful choice, as she brought so much to her character in Oculus. Was she your first pick and can you talk about the casting process for this movie?
Mike Flanagan: Karen was actually my first choice and that's rare. I'm a big nerd, so I'm also a big Battlestar Galactica fan. Years ago, when we were looking to expand the original short, the picture we hung up on the wall was Katee Sackhoff. Years before I heard of Karen Gillan, the prototype of who Kaylie was as a character was based on Katee's work on Battlestar. Karen was the first one cast and then Brenton Thwaites, but once we heard that Katee was available and interested, we gave the script to her and she jumped on immediately. It was a sci-fi dream for me, having Starbuck and Amy Pond in the same room. They're two of the strongest and most interesting actresses working.
Has there been any interest in a sequel to Oculus and is that something you want to come back for?
Mike Flanagan: Relativity is interested and I always felt that there was a lot of ground to cover with this mirror. We agreed not to discuss sequels or franchising until after the movie is done, because you never know how it's going to go and we wanted to do this story as well as we could. I would be interested in coming back if there's a really good story. I don't want to do it at all if it's a cash grab. I've moved onto other projects that I'm wrapping up and I'm gearing up to shoot another in the spring, so if I'm involved, it won't be until after they are done and if the story feels really good.
Aside from Somnia, I know you're going to be directing an adaptation of Stephen King's Gerald's Game. Can you tell me how far along you are on this project?
Mike Flanagan: I'm adapting Stephen King's novel, Gerald's Game, which has been a dream project of mine for a very long time and we're casting now. The chance to do that novel in particular, which is challenging, is next on deck and hopefully we'll be filming in the spring and we'll be making casting announcements shortly.
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