I’ve never interviewed the head of a movie studio. I’ll admit that I was a bit nervous as one wrong question and I’d probably be banned from attending all future junkets and screening from a studio that I like. After all they made Lord of the Rings and they are some of my favorite films of all time.

So it was with careful wording and prepared questions that I sat down with Bob Shaye to talk about his new film The Last Mimzy. And I’m glad I did as it was a really interesting interview as we covered a lot of things like:

• Why he chose this project over all the other to start directing again
• The casting process. How he got the actors involved.
• When does he think a director should differ to a studio head? Talks about the collaboration of the director and studio
• How did he balance his day job and the job of being director?
• Has the directing job helped him work with other directors?
• Talks about getting Roger Waters to do a song for the film.
• What is he as the head of New Line excited about this year at the studio?
• I ask about Chris Tucker and how they get him in the movies when he never takes other parts

There was of course something else I wanted to ask about…but lets just say I was politely asked not to cover it. I know most of realize what it was….

The interview has been edited in QuickTime.

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<spansize=4>To watch click this link or you can click on the image below.

Hereis the synopsis for The Last Mimzy as well as some images from the film.

THE LAST MIMZY

Release Date: March 23, 2007

Synopsis

Based on the acclaimed sci-fi short story by Lewis Padgett, The Last Mimzy tells the story of two children who discover a mysterious box that contains some strange devices they think are toys. As the children play with these “toys,” they begin to display higher and higher intelligence levels. Their teacher tells their parents that they seem to have grown beyond genius. Their parents, too, realize something extraordinary is happening. Emma, the younger of the two, tells her confused mother that one of the toys, a beat-up stuffed toy rabbit, is named Mimzy and that “she teaches me things.”

As Emma’s mom becomes increasingly concerned, a blackout shuts down the city and the government traces the source of the power surge to Emma’s family’s house. Things quickly spin wildly out of their control. The children are focused on these strange objects, Mimzy, and the important mission on which they seem to have been sent. When the little girl says that Mimzy contains a most serious message from the future, a scientific scan shows that Mimzy is part extremely high level electronic, and part organic! Everyone realizes that they are involved in something incredible…but exactly what?

The Last Mimzy features an ensemble cast that includes Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People, General’s Daughter), Joely Richardson (The Patriot, Nip/Tuck), Rainn Wilson (The Office), Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile), and newcomers Rhiannon Leigh Wryn and Chris O’Neil as the children, Emma and Noah. It is produced by Michael Phillips (The Sting, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and directed by Bob Shaye (executive producer of, among other films, The Lord of the Rings trilogy). Shaye is also founder, Co-Chairman, and Co-CEO of New Line Cinema.