Last week I landed an exclusive video interview with Atlas Entertainment’s President and Founder Charles Roven. While I’ve spoken to the prolific producer (full resume here) a number of times for some of his previous movies like The Dark Knight Rises, Man of Steel, Get Smart, and The Dark Knight, this was my first time getting to sit down with him for an extended conversation about the industry and all his upcoming projects.

Over the course of nearly an hour at Atlas’ Beverly Hills office, I was able to go in-depth with Roven about Atlas Entertainment, the Warcraft movie, The Great Wall, the Uncharted movie, future DC movies like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Suicide Squad, and so much more. As someone that is excited about a number of his upcoming projects, I tried to ask all the things fans want to know. Since our extended talk covered so many topics, I’m breaking up the interview into smaller sections starting with the Warcraft movie and Atlas Entertainment.


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In the interview below, Roven talks about how the industry has changed over the past two decades, if the talking drama is dead in Hollywood, how the industry has been moving into the event business, the way Atlas decides what they’re going to produce, how Atlas has three divisions at the company so they can produce all sorts of films, and more. In addition, he explains how they got involved in the Warcraft movie, why the film can break the cycle of unsuccessful video game movies at the box office and appeal to casual moviegoers, the movie's amazing spectacle, the incredible VFX, the reaction from test screenings, how it was Duncan Jones’ script that got everyone excited to make it, and where they are in post-production.

Finally, a huge thank you to Charles Roven for agreeing to sit down with me for this interview. Over the upcoming week you can expect a lot more from our extended conversation.

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Charles Roven:

  • How has producing movies changed over the last twenty years?
  • warcraft-movie-durotan-toby-kebbell
    Is the demise of home video really as bad as people say?
  • Is the talking drama dead in Hollywood or is it going to be relegated to the indie world?
  • How Hollywood has been moving into the event business.
  • How does Atlas decide what they’re going to produce? He explains how they have three divisions at the company so they can produce all sorts of films.
  • What’s the one or two scripts that came across his desk that he still regrets saying "No" to?
  • What are the best scripts he couldn’t find a way to get made? Mentions how Suicide Squad was in production 9 months after hearing the pitch which was the fastest project to get going that he’s been involved with.
  • How did Atlas get involved in the Warcraft movie?
  • Reveals that the main reason everyone signed off on the movie was when Duncan Jones rewrote the script and had the point of view from both the Alliance and the Orcs.
  • What is it about the Warcraft movie that will break the cycle of unsuccessful video game movies at the box office and appeal to casual moviegoers?
  • Talks about the amazing spectacle of Warcraft, the incredible VFX, and how it has heart.
  • How has the reaction been from any test screenings/friends and family screenings?
  • Where are they in the post-production process?

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