At this past weekend’s WonderCon, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter director Timur Bekmambetov, star Ben Walker and writer Seth Grahame-Smith showed off a new trailer and an extended section of a big action set piece that featured all the principal cast.  If you missed Dave’s recap of the panel, click here.  You can also watch the new trailer here.  For those just hearing about the project, the film re-imagines our 16th President as a statesman by day and a vampire slayer by night.Shortly before the panel, I got to sit down with Bekmambetov for an extended interview.  He talked about collaborating with Tim Burton and 20th Century Fox, the challenges of editing the film because of the 3D, and the runtime, tone and music.  In addition, Bekmambetov talked about the status of Maggie and reveals he plans on stepping back for his next project to do something out of character because he feels he’s done “too many genre movies.”  Hit the jump to watch.Timur Bekmambetov Time Index

  • 0:25 - Director Timur Bekmambetov talks about collaborating with Tim Burton and 20th Century Fox in the making of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
  • 1:20 – Bekmambetov talks about the challenges in editing the film, especially because of the 3D aspect.
  • 2:50 – With his first two cuts coming in at a 1 hour and 50 minute runtime, Bekmambetov talks about being specific and organized in their approach to making the movie.
  • 3:40 – Bekmambetov says that the tone of the trailer is representative of the score of the entire film. It will be a combination of traditional scoring and electronic music. He says he was very lucky to have Henry Jackman, the composer.
  • 4:50 – Bekmambetov talks about keeping the tone of the movie honest and relatable, while including his signature action scenes and sense of humor.
  • 6:15 – Bekmambetov talks about props he has at home from his previous films, including a uniform from Night Watch, Angelina Jolie’s knife from Wanted, and an axe from Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
  • 6:40 – If you’re curious about Lincoln’s gun-axe, check out what Bekmambetov has to say about it here.
  • 7:40 – Regarding 3D, Bekmambetov talks about the use of it in the film as a 4th wall which can allow audiences in or allow the film to come out to them and interact. He talks specifically about keeping certain 3D effects from scene to scene like atmospheric dust from action scenes.
  • 9:10 – Unfortunately, Bekmambetov confesses that his zombie film Maggie is no longer on the table.
  • 9:40 – As for what’s next for the director, he plans on stepping back for his next project to do something out of character because he feels he’s done “too many genre movies.”

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