DISCLAIMER

The following interview was with Tony Giglio, director and writer of DOOM: ANNIHILATION. Above there is the video version of the interview - you can turn on ENGLISH SUBTITLES by clicking the CAPTIONS button.

We've decided to publish this interview in written format as well. Enjoy!

GEEK GENERÁCIÓ: How did it feel when you got the task of shooting a Doom movie? What feelings and ideas first came to your mind?

TONY GIGLIO: I was overjoyed! I had been trying to make a DOOM movie for years. In 2004, I tried to get an interview to direct that version, but I was unavailable working on my film CHAOS. The joy lasts a short amount of time because you quickly realize the tonnage of work you have to do. There was 2 “go” moments. The first was getting to write the script. Got excited for a day, then got to work. Then when we got the green light to shoot the film. Again, took a day, then right to work.  

GG: How much would you call yourself a Doom fan? How do you get on with the series?

GIGLIO: I would say I am a tremendous fan of the original DOOM games. I started playing when they first came out in the early 90’s. A friend had it at his work. One night some friends and I went to his work. We got there at 9pm and played multiplayer until 4:30am. I was hooked. And it was ALL of it. Most people justifiably talk about the technology of the first person perspective being the key to DOOM - it was game changing - but it was also the story. I’ve read so many comments about DOOM just being about blasting demons, they forget, the game has an awesome story. DOOM 1 & 2 have epic stories. You are first tasked with stopping a Demon invasion and then in the sequel, you save survivors to a Starport and then decide to go to Hell to save the planet. That’s epic story telling.

The new game is great, but it’s the difference between John McClane’s DIE HARD and the Matrix’s NEO. In the original, you’re a regular human doing all this. In the new game, you’re part of the order of paladins predestined to battle the demons. And that’s an awesome thing. I’m just more found of the every man doing extraordinary things. Make sense?  

GG: When it was finalized that you were going to do a Doom movie, was there something you knew that you don't want to miss out on? For example a kind of creature in the movie, or some kind of easter egg that you were sure you want to implement in the movie?

GIGLIO: Universal 1440 makes films for Home Entertainment. This is their jam. And they’ve been one of the most successful film divisions in Hollywood b/c they make commercial films at a small cost. I had written 4 films (three of which are the DEATH RACE films) with 1440. So I was well aware of who they were and that we don’t get the big crazy theatrical budgets. So yes, I had to make some hard decisions when it came to how much action, how many sets and how many demons we can produce.

I’ll tell you something I haven’t shared yet. The original first draft the final demon was the Spider Mastermind. He was always my favorite. Ultimately, the spider mastermind proved too costly for our budget. 

GG: If you were to give a percentage, how much did you have and how much did the studio have in the movie?

GIGLIO: Hard to say a %. We were good partners. The story I pitched is basically the story in the final film. The studio loved the story and did everything in their power to help realize it. They definitely had creative notes, but they were always worked with my story.  

GG: Was there any major trouble during the shooting of the movie? What caused the biggest problem?

GIGLIO: I would not say “major trouble”. The greatest challenges were the practical demons. These were stunt actors in designed suits. The suits are not comfortable. They’re hot. They take 90 minutes just to get into. And you’re asking these guys to wear this thing all day and run, jump, do stunts and act. Throw into that small, contained sets, wire rigs, VFX, etc. And any stunt with a practical demon takes 3 times longer than a normal stunt. This is why there’s so much CGI in low budget stuff. These things are time suckers. A production day is 12 hours long. Take out an hour for lunch. In 11 hours, you have 6-7 pages to do. It’s tough. 

GG: Is there any information about exactly or approximately how much the movie budget was for Doom Annihilation?

GIGLIO: Universal 1440 doesn’t like to reveal this information. It would be safe to say this was a low budget film. Under $5 Million (US) 

GG: What was the mood like during the shooting? 

GIGLIO: We shot the film in Bulgaria. The crew was part of a production service company. They were all very familiar with each other and they were all friendly and worked hard. I was the odd ball. The cast got along great. I was probably the most problematic. As I mentioned, I tried for years to get this film made. Along with trying to interview for the 2005 film. I pitched this movie to 1440 Universal in 2015. They said “no” originally. So I was pretty intense and passionate aboutmaking sure we got everything right. I felt I deserved to do everything in my power, that DOOM fans deserved it. They deserved a faithful adaptation.

GG: How did it feel to see the reception of the first trailer? And the reception of the finished movie?  

GIGLIO: No one was happy with the 1st trailer. Originally we had an April 1st release date. Our post production was not ready. We had close to 1000 VFX shots in the film. At the time they had to make the teaser, we had maybe 150 done. But marketing had to put a teaser out. So they went with the footage we had ready. There was temp sound, temp ADR, and only a couple VFX shots. In hindsight, everyone wishes it didn’t go out. So I didn’t blame fans reacting the way they did.

Now, the 2nd teaser, that was done with all the VFX done. And it’s a better representation of the film. Unfortunately, some fans were simply so jaded by the first teaser we couldn’t win them back.

Contrary to some wishful hateful gamers, the film’s getting good reviews. Look, it’s not a perfect film and there are some legit criticisms. But a majority of the hate I find are from people who haven’t watched the film. Or people who are only aware of DOOM based on the 2016 game. We’re based on the original games. If all you know of DOOM is 2016, then this doesn’t look like DOOM.

Personally, I’ve received 100’s and 100’s of messages from fans who loved the film. I know we worked hard to make a faithful adaptation. It’s not perfect but I’m happy with the film. The first review by Forbres was IMO spot on.

GG: What do you think, if this movie was completely independent of the Doom franchise, people would appreciate it better?

GIGLIO: I disagree with the premise that people aren’t appreciating the film. You can’t get swayed by the trolls. VG fans don’t support films based on VG’s. Comic Book fans do. Say what you want about Suicide Squad & Justice League, but those films both made 3/4 of a Billion $$$. Even Batman & Robin made $100M at the US box office. When we were announced there was hate. There was hate when TOMB RAIDER got announced and that was with Alicia Vikander who just won an Oscar and was in Ex-Machina. There was hate towards Assassin’s Creed (before people saw it) and that had Michael Fassbender. I traded tweets with someone who hated the film. After 5 tweets they finally told me, “I haven’t seen it.” And again, I run across fans who only know the 2016 game. I can’t control that. 

GG: How did you feel when ID Software separated from the project? 

GIGLIO: When I got the call that Universal wanted to develop the script, we reached out to Bethesda and ID Software to see if they wanted to be involved with the film. This was prior to the script being complete. We had a treatment. We offered to share this with them. We told them they can have as much or little involvement. The declined.

The great thing about Universal 1440 is they do this. They don’t just take a title and run with it. For the Death Race films, they brought in Paul Anderson to develop the story. They brought back cast & composer from the theatrical film. For their Chucky films, they brought back Don Mancini. So for DOOM, we wanted them to be involved. We respect they chose not to.

The actual tweet they sent out simply said, “We were not involved in making the movie.” This was simply a factual statement. They were not. Fans read what they wanted to from that. But again, we’re based on the original games. No one at Bethesda or ID Software are from those games. Tom Hall, the co-creator of the original DOOM games, on Twitter “liked” the trailer.

Let the fans read into that.  

GG: If you could go back in time, what would you do differently for the film or the film-related marketing campaign? 

GIGLIO: Wait for all the VFX to be complete before making a teaser. :)

GG: Are there any plans for a sequel? Are there any info crumbs on what elements you are implementing from the games, and if so, can you share a few little things?

GIGLIO: I pitched this as a trilogy. There have been preliminary discussions about a sequel. A hint? Well, we would follow the game lore and bring Hell to Earth.

GG: In a potential, let's call it Doom Annihilation 2, is there a chance that Doomguy will emerge?

GIGLIO: Yes. This was always the plan. 

GG: Is there a chance that one of Doom's most iconic creatures, Revenant, would be in the sequel?   

GIGLIO: I have a wishlist of potential demons for the sequel. Until we get a “go” to develop the script, then have a script we like, and then it’s budgeted, the final decision on any demon is not settled. We aim high at first. Always. 

GG: What are your favorite movies and what influenced you the most?  

GIGLIO: My favorite movies range from THE GODFATHER, TERMINATOR, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, MEMENTO, INFERNAL AFFAIRS, ALIENS, DIE HARD, EVIL DEAD 2, THE INSIDER and EVERYTHING by Stanley Kubrick.

Kubrick is the most influential. I know it might not look like it based on my work. But he IMO is an artist who never compromised. I try to emulate that in every film. 

GG: Can we expect a new movie from you in the near future that is not Doom?

GIGLIO: Always hoping. Nothing’s ever settled in this business. I’m currently writing a monster horror action movie for Constantin Film. It’s a bigger film. We’re still developing but the company loved the first draft.

GG: What are your plans for your career? What do you want to achieve?

GIGLIO: Keep writing and directing until they stop hiring me. And when they do, keep writing anyway because that’s who I am. I’ve denied it for years. You say “I’m a writer” and it sound pompous. But I’ve written, co-written or ghost written 15 films that have been produced. I’ve direct 7 features. I’m a writer and director. That’s all I ever wanted to be. 

I want to be a great husband and father. I want to be a good citizen. And through my work, I hope to bring happiness and joy and maybe inspire.

I saw some bizarre comments about my 1st film. A family movie called SOCCER DOG. Some folks thought bringing this up was a slight at me? Again, they didn’t see the film. I made this film when I was 27. I started as a PA. I knew no one in Hollywood. I moved here with no money from a middle class family when I was 22. In five years, I was directing a film. The ideal job? No. But I was directing. It was a nice family story about an orphan who is adopted and simultaneously finds a lost dog. And together they form a family. It did nothing for my career except prove to me that I could do the job. 3 years after it came out, I was struggling. Couldn’t find work despite the fact the film was a success - for the studio, not me. I get sent a letter from a woman who runs an orphanage in Atlanta. She wrote to tell me that a boy had come to them. Same age as the boy in Soccer Dog. Lost his family tragically. He wouldn’t talk or socialize with anyone. All he did was watch my film every day. After a month, he came to her and asked if she could sign him up to play in a soccer league. She did. He started playing and eventually came out of his shell.

The fact my film helped him…anyone can say what they want about it. I have that.

GG: Are you planning on adapting video games in the future, or this genre not that much your world?

GIGLIO: If an opportunity arises I’d happily consider making another film based on a video game. The new games would be challenging b/c the stories are so intricate. A new game has 80-100 hours of gameplay. A film is 90-120 minutes. A movie can never replace the game. I didn’t try an replace the game. I wanted to compliment the game. I wanted to make a faithful film based on a game I love.

GG: If you had to name a single director as a favorite, who would it be? 

GIGLIO: Previously mentioned Stanley Kubrick. Also love Christopher Nolan, James Wan, Mike Flanagan, and Alfred Hitchcock.

GG: Is there any actor you would like to work with throughout your career? 

GIGLIO: ALL OF THEM. Ha! Kidding! When I was a PA, I worked with some of the biggest names ever. As a director, I’ve been real fortunate as well. I’ve directed Jason Statham, William H Macy, Milla Jovovich to name a few.

I’d love to work with Toni Collette, Tom Hardy, Mahershala Ali, Tom Cruise, Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jesse Plemmons, & Tom Hanks to name a few. 

GG: Is there any information about what Paul W. S. Anderson helped with the movie and does it have to do anything with the sequels to Death Race?  

GIGLIO: Paul Anderson is a good friend. We first met when I interviewed to direct RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION. We have collaborated on 4 films (3 death race films with 1440 & Resident Evil: Afterlife - where I directed 2nd Unit). Paul loves movies and he’s an incredible filmmaker. He read the first draft of the script as a favor and gave me his thoughts. I also screened the film for him prior to me showing the studio. He loved it and gave me some ideas. Free advice, if you have the ability to call in someone talented with experience to help you, do it. 

GG: What will be your next step? 

GIGLIO: Always forward. Never backwards ;)

GG: How much do malicious comments affect your civilian daily life, and do you think you can draw strength from constructive criticisms that express negative opinions in a cultured way? 

GIGLIO: Malicious comments don't affect my civilian daily life at all. As an artist, this is the risk you take. You create something and the world gets to judge it. Fairly or not, it's the life of every artist.

When it comes to DOOM, I knew that I would draw the critical eye of the gamers that love DOOM. Every film based on a Video Game gets this intense scrutiny, but DOOM isn’t just a game. It’s a landmark game. It pioneered the first person perspective that a majority of games now use. It’s one of the most important games every created.

Films based on Video Games don’t get the support from gamers the way that films based on Comics get from Comic Book readers. I’m not an expert but in my opinion it’s because NOTHING can quite recreate the gaming experience. A book or comic book is based on a story or a combination of stories, but the underlying principal is the same as a feature. You, the reader, FOLLOW the story. The beginning, middle and end - for every reader - follows the same path. Everyone reads the same words on the same page. The character is scripted and does the same action the same way in everyone’s book. 

Gaming isn’t that. First off, YOU are controlling the action of the character. You CREATE the path they take. And while you may be given the same task as every player, how you go about accomplishing it is unique to you. And there are some games where you can simply decide to freestyle and NOT follow the story.

I think this is why Gamers more than any other audience are most critical of films based on video games. It hasn’t helped that some films have played fast and loose with their game source material. But there’s this “hatred” that many gamers get the moment a Hollywood film based on a gamer they like is announced.

While you do need some ego to do this job, I feel like I have my ego in healthy check, especially when it came to DOOM. Every major decision was in deference to “the original games”, not what I wanted. And there is legit criticism about the film. It’s not perfect. So if folks watch the film and judge it for what it is and make critical comments, I am fine with this. Again, this is what you sign up for as an artist. Most people in life, at their jobs, they have their boss or a couple supervisors who judge their work. I have not only my bosses at the studio, I have the millions of people around the world who pay to watch the film. Look, even THE GODFATHER and T2 have negative reviews and 1 star ratings on IMDB. In short, you’re never going to create something that everyone universally loves. So get that out of your head.

But as an artist, if you know you worked hard, gave it your best effort and talents and folks watch the film, judge it for what it is and still don’t like it, hey, you can live with that. What no artist wants (or deserves) is to be attacked by people who haven’t watched the film or simply watched to hate the film without giving the film a chance. To me, those people are cowards. They are jealous, insecure and afraid to create anything in fear of failing. Some will hate just to hate.

I read tweets from 2 different film reviewers saying that they got death threats b/c they gave positives review to DOOM ANNIHILATION. Can you imagine how pathetic your life must be for you to send a death threat to someone about their opinion on a movie? And I went on YouTube and scanned through some negative comments. I’d honestly say that 75% of them are from people who haven’t seen the film. I saw people not know what Phobos was. I saw others not realizes there are zombies in the game. And these are all supposed die hard DOOM fans.

I guess this makes them feel better in some way?

It’s always easier to tear down than it is to build. It’s easier to throw gas on a fire than it is to start a fire from scratch. In High School, the “cool kids”were the ones who didn’t do their homework, skipped class and made fun of the teacher, right? The ‘nerds’ were the ones that studied and got A’s. It’s the same thing here.

And honestly those negative comments don’t affect me. What does affect me is this bully mentality. Trying to silence someone for disagreeing with you. It’s censorship.

Another tweet story. I saw someone say they weren’t sure if they were going to watch DOOM b/c they saw a lot of negative comments about the teaser. Not the film, the teaser. So they hadn’t even seen the teaser. Just read negative comments about it. So I clipped a couple of the positive reviews of the film, from legit movie news outlets, and I said, “how about reading some positive reviewers of the film instead of just negative comments about the teaser.” They responded “No.”

So they’ll read negative reviews of the teaser but not positive reviews of the film? How can you take offense to this? These people start with hate in their brain. And when confronted they become cowards.

We do hope to get a sequel. The film is doing very well and there has been preliminary talk. I pitched this as a trilogy, so I’m ready. But even though I have a plan in mind, this doesn’t mean I’m not going to listen to some of the legit criticism some fans have brought up. It doesn’t mean I won’t look at the things we did on the first film and learn to do it better or a new way. So yes, I can absolutely take strength from constructive criticism and use it to help make my art better. This makes me a better filmmaker.

But you can’t fight stupid. And that’s what trolls are. They’re stupid. So the moment you engage, they win because they bring you down to their level.

The biggest criticism - maybe legit in some cases - on the film was no “DoomGuy”. Now, I’ve addressed this in other interviews. For DOOM, I was first inspired by the idea of Hell and Demons. If there is Hell, then there’s Heaven. If there’s demons, then there are angels. So, my brain in forming the story started thinking about famous religious warriors in history I could model the lead of this story after. Joan of Arc came to mind. This is how the lead was formed. Not because of #MeToo or diversity. I felt the game gave this to me. And I was hesitant at first. I knew there could be backlash. But I did my research. Many people who call themselves DOOM fans I discovered don’t know a lot about DOOM.

First off, the original creators purposefully left the character as the “Unnamed Space Marine”. They didn’t want Mario or Lara Croft. They didn’t want “DoomGuy”. This is why that term is never mentioned in any game. It was a fan created term. The character was supposed to represent the player. Anyone playing is DoomGuy. Whether you’re black, white, male or female, you’re DoomGuy at home playing. This was possible because of their ground breaking technology. The First Person Perspective made YOU feel like you were in the game. That you were really controlling the action. 

Secondly, I first started playing on MULTI-PLAYER mode. Three friends and I would play together on a network. 4 Marines simultaneously fighting the demons. The game begins with an entire platoon of Marines entering base. So are we all the same Marine? Of course not. We’re all different Marines from that 1st unit that was called in.

For all those who have been SCREAMING at me about how DOOM is just supposed to be 1 guy only, they clearly never saw the box art for the 1st game. The iconic shot of a marine fighting off a horde of demons in Hell. Look in the background. There’s a 2nd Marine coming in to help him! It’s right there!

More proof, the Character in DOOM 2 is NOT the same Marine as in DOOM 1. In DOOM 1, your marine battles on Phobos, goes to Hell, then takes a teleporter back to Earth. DOOM 2, it says it right in the instruction manual, that you were a Marine on Mars, battling an invasion. You won. And you take a spaceship back to Earth to discover Earth’s been taken over by Demons. That’s 2 different Marines. Now there have been some fan theoriesthat have tried to suggest they’re the same, but just go off of what the GAME tells you, it’s clear it’s 2 different Marines.

Also, the DoomGuy in Doom 3 is also NOT the same, since that game is a prequel to DOOM 1. So 3 games, 3 different Marines. Not the same DoomGuy.

But you don’t win over fans by exposing their ignorance. And most folks don’t know the original games. That’s been our biggest hurdle. Most fans attacking us on this point know the lone Marine, Doomslayer, created for the 2016 game. Also, the Doomslayer has an entirely different backstory than any of the Doom Marines in the first 3 games. There’s been 4 games and 4 different DoomGuys.

I took these concepts and felt fairly comfortable making the choice we did. I based it on what the games gave me. This was how I made every major decision.

Internet bullying will always exist. But people can’t be intimidated. These people are cowards. Don’t let them silence you. If you like something, don’t let anyone tell you you’re wrong. About a film or a book or about anything art related. Like what you want to like. Like what makes you happy. Because the ONLY thing that makes bullies happy is silencing you.