We talked to our aul' mucker Edgar Wright recently to get the latest news on Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, which has wrapped shooting in Canada and is now deep in the editing stage. But how deep, and what can we expect from it? Over to you, Mr Wright.
"The way it goes with these films is that you’re editing the first cut and also finishing bits because they need to get to the effects house. So it’s funny, I’m doing my first cut but there are already parts of the film that are finished; we need to get underway with the effects or they’ll never be done. So I’m still at the start, yet some of the parts later on are in a very, very finished state."
And the effects? "It’s going to look pretty insane. It’s going to be a very pop-art-style comic-book film."
Just as importantly, what about the music? Not only is virtually every character in the books in a band, but the books are nearly as music-literate as they are shaped by games and movies.
"There’s obviously the score and then songs performed in the film. A lot of those songs are done, there are songs which were written in at script stage which are all signed off on, and then there’s extra stuff coming, so it’s very nice, that all coming together. It’s a lot like Spaced in a way, doing the soundtrack to this, although that didn’t have any performances in it. "
And when can we expect to see the finished product?
"I have to deliver it in April. It’s definitely interesting doing something so effects-heavy because it’s difficult to show it to people in progress. You could do test screenings of Shaun and Hot Fuzz in a semi-finished state because it essentially all works. But with something like Scott there are major effects sequences where things just aren’t there.
"I’d say editing is my favourite part of it. It’s been different this time in that we edited a lot of it during the shoot, because of the nature of the action sequences. It’s less of a mystery, because so much of it was done during the shoot and so much of it has to be finished to get the FX done. Whereas sometimes I’ve done things where I’ve finished the shoot not knowing what I have. Shaun Of The Dead was definitely like that. Now I have a much better idea. Which is a shame in a way because it makes it slightly less fun. It’s weird to start doing a jigsaw knowing that the most exciting bit has already been done. The end fight is all final-cut and done. So that’s an odd one."
And what's next for Wright? Ant-Man? Baby Driver?
"Everything is simmering away between Pilgrim, Ant-Man, World’s End and Baby Driver. I want it to be less than three years between films next time, touch wood. I’m very thankful to be making a big movie in this weird climate and the state the film industry is in. I want to get into something else straight away. In our first week of Pilgrim we got through something like 200 slates. Bill Pope said, “Man, that’s crazy!” I said, “I haven’t directed for three years – I’m backed up, I need to get it out of my system!”
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is due out in 2010, aka not soon enough. The final one of Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim books is also due out next year.