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BACK STORY The Producer By Kelly McCarthy
Perhaps it's that experience that brings a deft understanding of the Native American culture to Skinwalkers. The film is directed by Chris Eyre and stars Adam Beach and Wes Studi as Tony Hillerman's famous detectives Chee and Leaphorn. Reelwriter.net spoke with Nozik about the made for television film. Kelly McCarthy: What was the decision to adapt Tony Hillerman's Skinwalkers to film? Michael Nozik: Let me give you a little history of the Tony Hillerman series of books. There are a number books, I think sixteen in total that are part of the Chee/Leaphorn relationship, the two native American cops who are the core of the story. Skinwalkers is the first in this group of books, in which the two come to work together. There's the older sort of seasoned and more citified cop and the younger cop who is working to become a medicine man. Skinwalkers is not the first book that Hillerman's written, but the first in a series where the two guys come together. They go on for a series of books to be partners in various adventures. Bob Redford has owned these books for a number of years. His idea was to do it as a serial, of which there would actually be an ongoing series of movies. He always talked about it becoming like Charlie Chan, where you'd have continuing detective stories in movie theaters each week. McCarthy: So why the decision to go to television? Nozik: We first went the theatrical route where we actually thought maybe we'll make these into movies. But the marketplace wasn't interested in supporting feature films with a completely Native American cast, which was one of the requirements that we wanted in making the film. So we went to television. Public television became very interested in the material and now they've taken on the whole series and are developing the next group of stories in this series of books to make them part of what they're calling The American Mystery series. It was always imagined that we would find a partner who would make not just one movie but would go on from the initial commitment to developing a few. That's what we've got. And that's where the future is. In the works right now is another script and the hope that one or two will get made back to back with the same characters later in the spring. McCarthy: When did Robert Redford purchase the rights to the Hillerman series? Nozik: He's had them for at least ten years. McCarthy: What was it about the material that appealed to public television? Nozik: During those ten years or so the emergence of native American filmmakers, mostly Chris Eyre and the success of his film Smoke Signals (1998) and the interest in and the growth of the Native American acting community all coincided. Now we have a number of strong actors with market capability and credibility, Adam Beach being somebody that people recognize. McCarthy: Does he have a crossover appeal? Nozik: We hope so. And we hope this picture crosses over to a broad audience. McCarthy: What was the decision to bring Jamie Redford on board to write the screenplay? Nozik: He was very familiar with the physical territory of the four-corners, the area where the story takes place on the reservation. Jamie visited that area a lot through his life. He was really familiar with the Native Americans and so it was a natural fit for him to be the writer. He had grown up reading these books. He expressed an interest in writing this one and did a great job doing it. He spent a lot of time in that part of the world and really for a non-Native American writer I think he was able to capture a lot of the feeling of the place. McCarthy: Does a lot of his interest in the Native American culture come from his father's influence? Nozik: Yes. McCarthy: Where do you think Robert Redford's interest in the Native American culture comes from? Nozik: I can't really answer when it began, certainly it was before I was involved with him. I think it began as he started spending time in the southwest, in Utah. You can't help but go a little deeper into the history and the culture there and begin to understand the influence, the past, which very much ties into the Native American culture. Of course, I'm speculating about this. McCarthy: When did you begin working with Robert Redford? Nozik: In the early 90s. I came to work with him when the Hillerman books had already been in development. I think Jamie had already done his first draft so I wasn't around at the point Jamie began; but we worked together for the subsequent years through the drafts. McCarthy: What did it entail for you to get this project off the ground? Nozik: My job was to develop the script. When we didn't succeed in finding a feature film financier we went to television. We were speaking simultaneously to a number of the outlets: HBO, Showtime, and TNT who are known for making quality television movies. The chairman of PBS was also a Sundance board member and approached us with an interest in Hillerman when he heard we were looking to do it for television. So it was a great convergence of a desire to expand their American mystery series and our desire to find a home. My job was to then find a director. We always had the director Chris Eyre in mind, being somebody I'd met when he was work-shopping his first film, Smoke Signals. He was just out of NYU and at Sundance one summer. I watched his career. We discussed a potential involvement in Smoke Signals and the independent side of the Redford companies became involved in it. He made a very interesting movie and we've always stayed in touch. When this became available we began talking with him. McCarthy: Did you have many conversations with Tony Hillerman about adapting his work? Nozik: Most of those conversations took place between Tony and Jamie. Tony was very gracious and understood that in order to make a movie of these books we were going to make changes. Some authors are protective. But Tony Hillerman was completely open and understanding, reading the draft at various times with an open mind, giving comments that had nothing to do necessarily with how the book and the script converged. We added many elements to the script that were not in the book. We added some contemporary aspects because I think the book was ten or twelve years old. I spoke with Tony's agents over the years and kept him informed but I didn't have a lot to do with him myself. McCarthy: As far as Native American projects are concerned is there a continuous commitment through Wildwood productions to produce works other than Tony Hillerman's? I know there's a commitment through Sundance. Nozik: Bob's interest is manifested in a few places. Sundance for sure. At Wildwood the mandate has always been, first and foremost to serve him (Redford) as an actor and as a director. Producing other pieces is almost the third tier of the activity. Tony Hillerman's books have been a long-standing passion of Redford's and that's how the company has come to view it. Our connection in terms of the Native American filmmaking community comes through Sundance, which has a very active Native American program. Every year there's at least one Native American filmmaker in the filmmaking lab and part of the festival is dedicated to the work of Native American filmmakers. So they really have a strong outreach. McCarthy: What's the project you're now doing in South America? Nozik: I'm producing The Motorcycle Diaries, (2004) based on the journals by Che Guevara about his journey as a twenty year old medical student. He and a friend ride a motorcycle from Buenos Aires Argentina and they end up in the Amazon. Eight months in his life has changed him from a young Bourgeoisie kid to what he became. In this movie I've been traveling back and fourth all across Latin America. McCarthy: What's that experience like? Nozik: Well its great. It's fun to travel. It's exhausting and the infrastructure is not that good. So communication is difficult. It's a road movie so the movie is always changing. It's shooting in three countries with many locations. Logistically it's challenging. But it's a lot of fun. It's turning into a great movie. Note: The Motorcycle Diaries, is one of the last projects Nozik produced under the Redford Banner. Starting his own production company, Latitude Entertainment, he joins forces with partners Simon Bax, former CFO of Fox and Greg Coot, former chairman of Village Road Show. Nozik produced How To Kill Your Neighbors Dog (2000), No Looking Back (1998), and executive produced She's the One (1996). He received an Academy Award nomination when he produced Redford's take on the 1950s game show scandal Quiz Show (1994). Among Nozik's other credits are People I know (2002), Love In the Time of Money (2002), The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000), Crossing Delancey (1988), Thunderheart (1992) and China Girl (1987). He's also produced several films with director Mira Nair: Salaam Bombay! (1988), which was nominated for an Academy Award, Mississippi Masala (1991) and The Perez Family (1995). © Reelwriter.net 2004 |
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Producer Michael Nozik recently completed his latest film project, The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), based on the journals by Che Guevara. Prior to this latest effort, Reelwriter.net spoke with Nozik about bringing Tony Hillerman's Skinwalkers (2002) to television. Nozik produced the film for Robert Redford's Wildwood Enterprises in a joint project with PBS. This is not the first Native American project Nozik has tackled. In 1992 he produced Michael Apted's Thunderheart, starring Sam Shepard, Graham Greene and Val Kilmer as an FBI agent of Sioux heritage who comes to terms with his roots while researching a murder investigation. |
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