Lawrence Kasdan
Lawrence Kasdan
Lawrence Edward Kasdanis an American screenwriter, director and producer. He is best known as co-writer of the films The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Return of the Jedi. Kasdan co-wrote the Star Wars sequel trilogy film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and will co-write the series' Han Solo spin-off film...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionFilm Producer
Date of Birth14 January 1949
CityMiami, FL
CountryUnited States of America
It's hard enough to get any movie made, and when you take on these tough genres - and I've done it a couple times - it just makes the whole struggle more.
The movies that made me want to make movies were action movies, and thrillers, and Kurosawa films, you know, where you have an opportunity every day to shoot it in an unusual way. I was looking for something like that.
I really liked Carrie a lot. That was one of Brian De Palma's best movies.
I didn't really want to do another sequel. I go to those movies, and I just sort of enjoy them like a viewer.
But, George and Steven asked me to write the Indiana Jones sequels, and I didn't want to.
Almost every other Western in the last ten years has failed, since Dances with Wolves.
With Westerns you have the landscape is important, and it's empty, and only you populate it. When you populate it, you can tell any kind story that Shakespeare told, you can tell in a Western.
You know what, almost all of the genre movies that had a big impact on me, people have tried to do them again, and they're never any good.
But, I think that the reason I responded to this book, sort of paradoxically, is that it starts out like The Big Chill, sort of. Four friends, who are not quite happy with their life, and every year they get together for a week and look for some comfort from each other.
I mean, I really liked those guys and the experience of doing Raiders was really good for me, but I did not really want to be involved - I only did Jedi, as I really owed George a favor.
What you hope for, like Unforgiven did a lot to give you a chance to do it again sometime.
You know, Stephen says, in the movies no one ever goes to the bathroom. They shave, they brush their teeth. He goes right at this sort of funny taboo we have about the bathroom, and he turned it into this nightmare, you know, your worst fear of what's in there.
I tell you, I feel like a real novice as far as horror goes.
The great thing about Stephen is that he sees the movie as a separate thing, I think. He wants it to capture the essence of the book, and if he feels that's been done, then he's not too particular about the details. I think that's why he's happy.