Jerry Bruckheimer Interview, National Treasure : Book of Secrets

MoviesOnline caught up recently with producer Jerry Bruckheimer at the Los Angeles press day for his new movie, “National Treasure: Book of Secrets,” directed by Jon Turteltaub.  Bruckheimer has become a brand unto himself with a roster of films that span many of the most popular and influential films of the last two decades.

In this follow up to the box-office hit "National Treasure," treasure hunter Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) once again sets out on an exhilarating, action-packed new global quest to unearth hidden history and treasures. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Jon Turteltaub and directed by Turteltaub, the story reunites the original cast including Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha and Academy Award winner Jon Voight, joined this time by four-time Academy Award nominee Ed Harris, Academy Award-nominee Harvey Keitel, and 2006 Academy Award winner Helen Mirren.

According to Bruckheimer, “What’s exciting about the ‘National Treasure’ movies is that you have to think to stay with it, and follow the clues. I think that aspect really added to the success of the first film, and with the terrific cast, wonderful director, fabulous writers and the rest of our phenomenal troops on the second, we can expect not only more of the same, but even better and bigger. Jon Turteltaub is a brilliant director who was known more for his comedies than for adventure films, so he really cut his teeth with the first film. He said ‘Whoa, this is kind of fun…maybe we should up the ante on the second one,’ and he certainly did.”

“What’s key in making a sequel is getting the same talent behind the camera as in front of the camera,” continues Bruckheimer. “We got Jon Turteltaub and the same writers back to attempt to make an even better film than the first. Then you’ve got to get the same actors in front of the camera, and that’s key as well. We did it on the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movies, and we’ve done it again on ‘National Treasure,’ on which both Nicolas Cage and Jon Voight are in sequels for the first time in their careers. Then we’ve added some exciting new elements, including Helen Mirren and Ed Harris. Ted (Elliott) and Terry (Rossio), and the Wibberleys, did a brilliant job in creating this movie’s characters.”

Jerry Bruckheimer holds an undisputed position as one of the most successful producers in both motion pictures and television. First in partnership with Don Simpson and then as the chief of Jerry Bruckheimer Films, he has produced an unprecedented string of worldwide smashes, hugely impacting not only the industry, but mass culture as well. Bruckheimer’s films have included (producing with Don Simpson) “Top Gun,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Beverly Hills Cop 2,” “American Gigolo,” “Flashdance,” “Bad Boys,” “Dangerous Minds,” “Crimson Tide,” “The Rock” and (producing solo) “Con Air,” “Armageddon,” “Enemy of the State,” “Gone in 60 Seconds,” “Coyote Ugly,” “Remember the Titans,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Black Hawk Down,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” “Bad Boys II,” “Veronica Guerin,” “King Arthur,” “National Treasure,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.”

On television, Jerry Bruckheimer had an unprecedented 10 television series airing in the 2005-6 season, a record in the medium for an individual producer. JBTV’s series have included “C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation” and its spinoffs “C.S.I.: Miami,” “C.S.I.: NY” and “Without a Trace,” “Cold Case,” and “The Amazing Race.”

Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Television have been honored with 39 Academy Award nominations, six Oscars, eight Grammy Award nominations, five Grammy Awards, 23 Golden Globe nominations, four Golden Globes, 69 Emmy nominations, 16 Emmy Awards, 16 People’s Choice nominations, 11 People’s Choice Awards, numerous MTV Awards, including one for Best Picture of the Decade for “Beverly Hills Cop,” and 20 Teen Choice Awards.

Jerry Bruckheimer is an extraordinary producer and we really appreciated his time. Here’s more of what he had to tell us about his new movie, the exciting and action-packed “National Treasure: Book of Secrets”:

MoviesOnline: Another $200,000,000 movie? Minus the cost to make it?

[Laughter]

MoviesOnline: You probably get asked this question at least a dozen times a year but I'm going to do it again anyway.

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: Good.

MoviesOnline: In IMDB you have at least 10 projects in various stages of production right now, probably another half a dozen in development, there are between 6 and 10 television series that you have in production. How many clones do you have?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: There's a great team of people. Between the people that work in our office, people with Disney, and television people at Warner Bros. All value added. They make me look good all the time.

MoviesOnline: Entertainment Weekly just named you one of the 50 smartest people in Hollywood and said that you also pay attention to and participate in every single one of these productions as well. What kind of toll does that take on you?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: You know what? I'm not working in a factory. I'm not an accountant. It's a creative business and it's fun to do. Although we have days when we wish we didn't have to replay. We all go through those kinds of days. But in the end you have something that you can be very proud of. Like this movie. You work hard on it. You get to enjoy other people enjoy it. And that's the best part of the whole thing. The end game. It's the end game that when you're done you're going to reach hopefully tens of millions of people and make their day a little bit better.

MoviesOnline: It seems like only a few years ago you weren't in the sequel business at all and now you have this franchise, Pirates, Bad Boys had a sequel. Was there something that happened that made you see a way to continue stories?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: It all depends on the film itself and the characters. You know cops, there's always another crime. Treasure hunters, there's always another treasure they're seeking. Certain pictures are going to lend themselves. Pirates, there's always another adventure. They're always seeking something that's not right. That's fun. We tried to develop something on Top Gun years ago but it just didn't go anywhere. We've been asked a number of times to develop a sequel to The Rock. Again, we couldn't come up with anything that we thought was interesting to do 'cause there were more enclosed stories.

MoviesOnline: This one. Wasn't it started with the idea, like Pirates, to...

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: Never. Never. It was a one off.

MoviesOnline: This movie clearly leaves room for more.

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: Yes.

MoviesOnline: Are there any scripts in the works?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: No. Nothing.

MoviesOnline: You haven't figured out what's on that page?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: The writers might know. They haven’t told me yet. But I don't know. And they're not going to tell me now because they're on strike.

[Laughter]

MoviesOnline: What are you most proud of with this film?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: I think the most fun of this is the ride that it takes you on. It's a movie that kind of builds slowly then starts to take off. I think I'm so proud of the fact that we have this wonderful relationship between Jon Voight and Helen Mirren. I think that's such a nice addition to this movie. It's unexpected. And that's what I like about it.

MoviesOnline: Is she signed for another sequel?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: No. Nobody is.

MoviesOnline: How did you get Helen Mirren? Was this after the Academy Awards?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: Yes. We sent her the script. Very simple. And she liked the character and we worked with her on the character and we paid her well.

MoviesOnline: Nic said there is a tightrope act on a Jerry Bruckheimer film involving the script, that you were working on it constantly. You never knew what the dialogue might be until the day you show up. Can you talk about how that feeds the project to make things as good as they can be?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: I don't think they're ever good enough. So we're constantly trying to make it better. And the writers, the majority of time, are on the set working with the director to try to come up with something that, you know, you walk on a set and you see something, you'll see a vase or you'll see something that, 'Oh wow, we can just have some fun with this.' So that's what we try to do.

MoviesOnline: Nic said the tabletop scene where they were trying to balance, you had to go back and reshoot that a couple times.

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: Yes.

MoviesOnline: Is that you paying to get it right?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: I don't pay. Somebody else does. We convince them to pay for it. Let's put it that way.

MoviesOnline: Many video game fans have been frustrated by Hollywood’s inability to deliver the goods and you're going to be making Prince of Persia. What can you tell fans of that series that they can look forward to for that franchise?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: You know, I think we hired a very interesting director, Mike Newell, who did one of the Harry Potters and also Donnie Brasco, and he's a very inventive, ingenious director and I think he's going to bring something really special to it. And we're just starting. We have a screenplay. We're just starting to develop the look of it, so it will be unique and fresh.

MoviesOnline: Why or how did you get involved with Prince of Persia?

JERRY: It's a game that was brought to us early on, and I thought it was very exciting. First of all, it's an interesting period. And it's something that other people weren't doing. So I always like to go into arenas that other filmmakers aren't in.

MoviesOnline: Is this one of these properties that you envision the possibility of A, a franchise, and B, is this going to be a really big film, like a National Treasure?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: Yes. It's a big production, and if they work, it's another character you can take on to other adventures.

MoviesOnline: Do you have any casting on it?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: Not yet.

MoviesOnline: Do you foresee any challenges in filming in the mid-ages? Is it the mid-ages?

JERRY: Yeah, I think it's the 8th or 9th century. But you know, that could change, too. We might change it a little. I’m not sure yet. It'll definitely be a period film. We're not going to make it contemporary.

MoviesOnline: Can you do for video games what you did for theme park rides?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: I don't know. We'll see.

MoviesOnline: Is that script set in stone now because they can't develop?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: Well, we're not going to film 'til June so hopefully the writers will come to some kind of consensus with the studios and we can continue.

MoviesOnline: What's your take on the writers strike?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: I just think it's unfortunate. It's an unfortunate time to have a strike. It's coming into Christmas. Our crews for our television shows are all shut down, so a lot of these kids aren't going to get the kind of Christmases that they deserve. People are going to lose their homes. Our crew members. It's sad. It's really sad. I hope they can work it out so a lot of this doesn't happen, but the problem you have is that they're doing so much negotiating during the press rather than just sitting in a room and doing it. We're fortunate now 'cause they are talking, which is good. And I think if it breaks off it's going to be very long. A long strike.

MoviesOnline: What do you make of the position that they don't know if the Internet will be profitable?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: I think you don't know how it's going to be profitable. You look at what happened to the music business. You thought that the CDs were going to be the thing of the future, and all of a sudden iTunes pops up and the record companies are all in trouble, and you have Napster and they're taking everything for free, so there's so many things that they don't know that they want to find out what it is first before they start giving away money. Not that I'm taking the studios’ side, 'cause I'm not. But I think the time to - when you're making a lot of money it's easy to give money up 'cause you're making a lot. When you're not making a lot of money yet, to me it's a little premature to go through all this into a dark area.

MoviesOnline: You're aware that Bob Iger, Rupert Murdoch, and Sumner Redstone have all quoted internet revenues in the tens of billions of dollars just for the coming year already?

JERRY: You know, I don't know about that. I think they say that to Wall Street to get them all hyped up, to project their stocks going up. But I don't know what the reality is.

MoviesOnline: Wouldn't they just be giving away a percentage of zero if it doesn't end up being profitable?

JERRY: I don't think so. I think they have to pay money whether it's a failure or not. You invest a lot of money in a movie, and it could not bring any returns in. So I think you like to make it so you have a movie before you're giving money back.

MoviesOnline: I mean the percentage the writers are asking for...

JERRY: Don't know. Don't know.

MoviesOnline: Movies never make money though.

JERRY: Well, net money they don't.

MoviesOnline: What's the difference between a PG movie like this and the Pirates movies and going to an R? Do you worry about the ratings board?

JERRY: No.

MoviesOnline: Do you go in knowing you're aiming for a certain rating?

JERRY: Yeah, we knew this was...We wanted to make this a PG movie. The first one, we didn't know what we were doing. We honestly thought we were making a PG-13 movie, and when I read the script, I went to Dick Cook, and I said, "Dick, this is a Disney movie." It wasn't originally a Disney movie. And I said, "There's nothing in here that would give you even a PG-13." And then he changed the...It was going to be a Touchstone film, and he changed it.

MoviesOnline: Any news on Pirates 4?

JERRY: No, nothing. And now with the writers out, they can't even think about it, so...

MoviesOnline: Where do stars fit into the Jerry Bruckheimer movie universe? Do you feel it's essential to have an A-list star, especially if the budget is over $100 million?

JERRY: Project by project. You never know. Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

MoviesOnline: What makes Nicolas Cage one of your favorite actors to work with?

JERRY: Because you never know where he's going. You know, certain actors, you watch them and you know their mannerisms. You know what they're going to give you. With Nic, you never know what's going to happen. You know, how he's going to take a scene, what he's going to do with a scene, what he does with a character. He's such a gifted [actor]. He's so quirky and interesting to watch. You love watching him, you know? He's such a good guy, too. And you see it. You know, you see it when you watch him. It's somebody you want to have around. You like him as a brother, or somebody who marries your daughter. He's just fun, you know?

MoviesOnline: I think before your films, no one would have thought of Nicolas Cage and Johnny Depp as action guys...

JERRY: Right.

MoviesOnline: What did you see in them that made you think they could do that?

JERRY: They're great actors. Great actors can do anything. They really can.

MoviesOnline: Was there something about the projects you matched them to that took advantage of their abilities?

JERRY: Well, Nic's a very physical, imposing individual. He's very health-conscious, he works out a lot. Johnny's a very agile actor. I mean, he's a phenomenal mimic. He can mimic anything. And it's just fun watching him work physically, how gifted he is.

MoviesOnline: Any thoughts about going up against Johnny on opening day this time around?

JERRY: I wish it didn't happen, because I'm sure the movie's fantastic, and I'm sure he's great in it. Because it's a really good filmmaker. It's a great filmmaker. And he's a terrific actor. So I wish we weren't going head-to-head. But fortunately for us, they're not in as many theaters as we are.

MoviesOnline: Well, that's an R-rated movie, too...

JERRY: Yeah, Johnny's movie...

MoviesOnline: What's next for you?

JERRY: We're doing a movie called G-Force right now, which is half animated, half live action. And we're starting Confessions of a Shopaholic, which is a series of books, end of January that Isla Fisher's starring in. So that will be our next release.

MoviesOnline: Will you be re-writing on the set?

JERRY: No. We have a very good script and actors who improvise anyway, so I think we'll be fine. Even when they're not supposed to, they do it.

MoviesOnline: Nic is supposedly doing a voice in G-Force...

JERRY: Right.

MoviesOnline: How hard was it to get him to do that?

JERRY: I think when he saw the character and read the script, he saw how much fun it is. It's always about the material.

MoviesOnline: What have been your favorite movies of the year?

JERRY: I haven't seen enough of them to tell you the truth. I'll tell you what I liked. I liked 3:10 to Yuma, I thought it was a really good movie. I liked Michael Clayton. I liked that musical...

MoviesOnline: Hairspray? Across the Universe?

JERRY: Across the Universe. Yeah, I liked that a lot. And I liked American Gangster. Those are ones that I remember.

MoviesOnline: Judd Apatow might be becoming the Jerry Bruckheimer of comedy. Do you see anything in his trajectory that you relate to?

JERRY: You know, I just think his movies are terrific. I loved Superbad, and I liked...Is it Knocked Up? Yeah. I love both those films. He's a talented guy.

MoviesOnline: Is there any scene brought to you that can't be done because it's too big or complicated?

JERRY: No, there's nothing we can't do. There are certain things we can't afford, but nothing we can't do.

MoviesOnline: What are the plans for National Treasure 3?

JERRY: You'll see about a month afterwards. If the picture performs, you
know?

MoviesOnline: Is this opening abroad around the same time as it opens domestically?

JERRY: In some markets yes, in other markets no.

MoviesOnline: If National Treasure 3 doesn't get made, will you tell everybody what's on Page 47 on the DVD?

JERRY: No. We don't know.

MoviesOnline: Any remakes you would like to do?

JERRY: Not that I can remember.

MoviesOnline: The holidays are coming up. What does someone get Jerry Bruckheimer for Christmas?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: I don't know. I have no idea.

MoviesOnline: Are there any gadgets or toys you want?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: I usually buy them myself.

MoviesOnline: Any plans for this holiday to make it special?

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER: You know, we usually go to Kentucky. Hopefuly we’ll get there. Although I shouldn't be saying this in such a large group because my mother who claims she's 82 is about to turn 103, which is kind of interesting. She always says, ‘I’m only 82.’ So don’t tell anybody. We're going to throw a little party for her.

MoviesOnline: Thank you.

JERRY: Thank you, guys. Happy holidays, everybody.

“National Treasure: Book of Secrets” opens in theaters on December 21st.