So do the terms of the original contract mean you could make a “Repo Man” sequel but you couldn’t show it outside of the United States?
We [could, but we] would have to sell it to Universal [first], because they own the foreign rights to a “Repo Man” sequel.
In theory, could Universal do a “Repo Man” sequel with some other director and only show it internationally, not within the United States?
Ironically, because of my contract, the only person who can direct a “Repo Man” sequel is me, so they’d [still] have to buy the foreign rights!
It all sounds very complicated!
It is complicated, isn’t it? But we are pursuing some interesting possibilities of finding some way that we can fund it, just from the US distribution [rights]. But the thing does not exist yet, except as a screenplay.
How many people need to see a movie for you to feel as if you succeeded overall, in whatever sense? Is there any number of viewers under which you would conclude, “Oh, well, that didn’t work out”?
No. Just making it is success enough. I mean, you can’t control how many people see it. How many people have seen ‘Repo Man’? How many people have seen ‘Tombstone Rashomon”? Pretty much everybody has seen “Repo Man,” yeah? Comparatively few people have seen “Tombstone Rashomon.” But I like them both equally, so that doesn’t make any difference. If you’re a film artist, if you’re actually a creative, artistic, independent filmmaker, you make films for yourself, and the pleasure is in the making of them, and in the collaborative process. And then, in the distribution, well— whatever happens happens.
That sounds like a healthy attitude.
It’s the only attitude you can take at the end, because you can’t really control distribution. And if you worry about how many people saw it, you’re not going to have any fun. You’re going to be filled with regret, and you’re going to value things that maybe aren’t so valuable.
But you know, the theater experience hasn’t gone away. There are still art cinemas, you know. There are still repertory theaters. It all still exists. People like to go to the cinema and they like to see things that aren’t just Marvel Comics movies. There is definitely hope.