Q: You wouldn’t hire David Cronenberg to be someone else.
A: Well, it has happened in the past. They want you to be you but then they take away everything that makes you be you. That’s not the case here so far.
Q: You’re also talking about making your first sequel, a follow-up to Eastern Promises. What are the chances of it happening?
A: I think the chances are good because Focus wants to do it, I want to do it, Paul Webster, the producer of the first one, wants to do it, Steven Knight, the writer wants to do it, and Viggo will be interested. [Today, however, The Guardian quotes Mortensen declaring he's done with movies!] What it takes is a script that’s interesting, and I have a concept for it that will be great.
Q: Can you sum it up in a line?
A: No, cause somebody will steal it! And make my sequel without saying it’s a sequel!
Q: So, Atom Egoyan is working with Ivan Reitman and David Cronenberg is working with Tom Cruise—the world has changed.
A: The world has turned topsy-turvy, yeah. . . What was the budget of Atom’s film [Chloe], I wonder?
Q: Under $20 million. And The Matarese Circle?
A: It would be about $150 million.
Q: So how do you go about writing for Tom Cruise? How do create his character?
A: I can’t tell you what it is, but I think people will be quite stunned when they see it.
Q: It’s a departure from type?
A: It is. And if you look at what he did in Tropic Thunder, he’s obviously capable and willing to do departures.
Q: So it’s an offbeat character.
A: It’s not like Tropic Thunder.
Q: But it’s not like Mission Impossible.
A: No.
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