Posted in: Interview, Lionsgate, Movies | Tagged: Alarum, lionsgate, Michael Polish
Director Michael Polish (Twin Falls Idaho) spoke to Bleeding Cool about his latest spy thriller, Alarum for Lionsgate, casting, and more.
Article Summary
- Michael Polish discusses his new spy thriller Alarum and its intriguing plot twists and cast.
- Scott Eastwood and Willa Fitzgerald play married spies off the grid in Polish’s latest espionage film.
- Polish talks about working with Sylvester Stallone and writer Alexander Vesha on Alarum.
- The director highlights creativity and budget constraints while filming in a single location.
Michael Polish has always been looking to challenge himself with different genres as a director since his debut in Sony Columbia Tri-Star’s Twin Falls Idaho (1999) with his creative partner and brother, Mark Polish. The duo also churned out other memorable films like Jackpot (2001) and Northfolk (2003). His latest is Alarum, which follows two married spies caught in the crosshairs of an international intelligence network that will stop at nothing to obtain a critical asset. Joe (Scott Eastwood) and Lara (Willa Fitzgerald) are agents living off the grid whose quiet retreat at a winter resort is blown to shreds when members of the old guard suspect the two may have joined an elite team of rogue spies known as Alarum. Polish spoke to Bleeding Cool about working with Eastwood, Fitzgerald, Sylvester Stallone, and Mike Colter, being able to play in the spy thriller genre, writer Alexander Vesha, and making the most of his tight budget with minimizing use of space.
Alarum Director Michael Polish on Letting Loose on the Eastwood, Stallone, and Fitzgerald Spy Thriller
Bleeding Cool: What intrigued you about ‘Alarum?’
It is a combination of wanting to work with Scott Eastwood and Sylvester Stallone. The spy genre is great because of the curveballs you get thrown with who’s who and how you’re going to work that storyline out. The mystery of the spy thriller and the combination of Scott, Stallone, and Willa, as well as her, bring in a big punch.
What’s it like working with Alexander [Vesha] as a creative partner?
He’s a good guy, relentless, and he’ll keep doing it until he gets it right.
How does a film like ‘Alarum’ compare to previous work, and what was the most difficult sequence to pull off?
The idea is that I’m not associated a lot with this genre, so it’s fun for me to play with some of the toys we get in the action genre. The idea of that’s always been intriguing, so I’ve been able to do a couple of these action-thriller movies. As far as the “most difficult sequence,” probably blowing that hole in the wall. The safety, how big that explosion was, and making sure…you don’t get a lot of time to that kind of reveal where actors are on one side, and there’s a comedy element to it, but there’s also a serious nature to it.
Were there others aside from Stallone and Scott who were penciled in from the get-go? Were Willa and Mike Colter also cast right away or did they audition?
[Willa and Mike’s] were just behind the other characters. They played the four main people, and once you get them, you start looking at others who are great, like D.W. Moffett. That’s a great get because he’s so solid as the other guy as the opposing force.
How does a project of this nature compare to something more mainstream? Do you find you have to rely more on ingenuity with a tighter budget?
More money to spend is always great. The more, the better. There’s something about the constraint that makes you more creative because you must work things out and put your guy in a corner. That’s where my independent film background comes from: you’re not going to get to a certain location, and you’re not going to get certain things. What can you do? That seems to lend itself to this genre, but I never have a problem spending money. That’s for sure. We don’t ever have a lot of it.
What was the biggest example of using that ingenuity on ‘Alarum?’
That’s a good question. I would say finding that location and using that location for 70-80 percent of the movie is important. That comes from the background, which is trying to force everything into there. So, finding a location, scouting, and finding that lodge is important.
What’s next for you, and are there other genres you’re looking to work on?
I have a picture coming out with my brother called ‘There There,’ so that’ll be coming out, and then we’re getting ready to work on a movie called ‘The Elk,’ which is another action-thriller genre. It’s about these hunters that go up in Montana, and these things go awry.
Alarum, which also stars Isis Valverde and Joel Cohen, will be released on January 17th in theaters, digitally, and on demand.
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