With Chaos Walking arriving in theaters this weekend, I recently got to speak with author and screenwriter Patrick Ness. During the interview, Ness talked about adapting his book for the screen, why certain changes were made, why he feels a movie is a remix, casting the dog Manshee, why most of the creative conversations were about what does thought look like, and more. In addition, talked about adapting the graphic novel Snow Blind for Jake Gyllenhaal and Apple TV, which follows a boy who discovers that his family is in the witness protection program.

Based on the best-selling novel The Knife of Never Letting Go by Ness, Chaos Walking takes place on a planet where all the women have disappeared and the men are afflicted by something called the Noise - which allows for each of them to see and hear what they’re each thinking. When a mysterious girl (Daisy Ridley) crash lands on the planet, Todd (Tom Holland) vows to protect her and they’re forced to journey away from everything he’s ever known. The film also stars Mads Mikkelsen, Nick Jonas, Cynthia Erivo, Demián Bichir, David Oyelowo, Ray McKinnon, Óscar Jaenada and Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter.

Check out what Patrick Ness had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.

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Director Doug Liman, Daisy Ridley, and Tom Holland on the set of Chaos Walking
Image via Lionsgate/Murray Close

Patrick Ness:

  • How did they decide on what to change and what not to change from the book for the movie?
  • How a movie is remix to suit the needs to the film.
  • Was it ever going to be a different movie?
  • How most of the creative conversations were about what does thought look like.
  • How much time did they spend casting the dog Manshee?
  • What’s the status of Anya’s Ghost and Snow Blind?
  • What book is he working on?

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