Stanley Kubrick's '2001' was the door that opened up the possibility of science fiction for me. Everything else up to then was fine, but didn't quite work for me.
A word on 'Kingdom of Heaven:' if you get the four-disc set, which is 3 hr. 8 min., you'll see why it's such a good movie. It was a real passion project, and it's the film I'm most proud of. I think it was treated incredibly unfairly.
Your landscape in a western is one of the most important characters the film has. The best westerns are about man against his own landscape.
I've gradually realised that what I do best is universes. And I shouldn't be afraid of that.
I've got many letters from Muslim organizations thanking me for making 'Kingdom of Heaven.'
I'm a yarn teller. My job is to engage you as much as I can and as often as I can.
