Hiram Garcia Interview Red Notice

Hiram Garcia Interview: Red Notice

Producer Hiram Garcia talks about his latest film with Dwayne Johnson, Netflix’s Red Notice, the upcoming Black Adam movie, and future projects.

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Producer Hiram Garcia has helped bring Dwayne Johnson’s movies to life from Scorpion King to Jungle Cruise. Their latest collaboration is Red Notice, the action heist movie co-starring Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot. Red Notice is currently available to stream on Netflix.

Screen Rant spoke to Garcia about how the cast of Red Notice came together and his upcoming films including Black Adam.

Screen Rant: Red Notice is out now. I have to know, first of all, did you intentionally drop it the same day as Taylor Swift’s Red? Because that’s marketing.

Hiram Garcia: As DJ [Dwayne Johnson] loves to say, he loves some Tay-Tay. So anytime that we can be in sync with Taylor, I mean, how much better is that? So I’ll totally take credit for that fantastic synchronization.

I saw the movie. It’s awesome. It’s original. It’s fun. It’s funny. The action is awesome. What was it you saw in the pitch, in the script that made you go, “Oh, hell yes. I want this”?

Hiram Garcia: Well, thank you so much for those kind words. We’re very proud of the film. And yeah, we were shooting a movie in Vancouver with Rawson [Marshall Thurber] called Skyscraper at the time, and he had been noodling on this idea. So I remember he invited us all to dinner. He’s like, “I want to share this pitch with you guys. I think there’s something special here.” And he took us through the pitch, which was so much fun and had a little bit of a throwback to it. I think it felt like something from a little bit of an earlier time, just a really fun global heist, caper cops and robbers, thrill ride, but a vehicle for three giant movie stars to do what they do best. And then we were already having a blast, but then once he got to the twist at the end, I think we were all… I remember DJ stood up, he threw his napkin against the wall and he’s like, “I bleeping love it. I’m in.” And we were all in.

And then from there, it was actually, things just moved quick. We took it around town, it turned into a big bidding war. And to end up at Netflix and to be able to do it the way we did and to have them as a partner during such a challenging time to film, really it was, we were very fortunate and we found the perfect home for it. And we’re really happy with the way the film came out.

It is like a heist/whodunit and I love a whodunit. You mentioned these three powerhouse actors that are coming into this film and each bring their own flair to the film. How did you go about assembling these three to get together on screen?

Hiram Garcia: I think we always say as a producer, you dream of having one giant megastar in a movie. So to have three, it’s such an honor, and going in, ironically, Rawson had always pitched Gal as the Bishop. He always had her as a prototype and when he would get to the Bishop, he’d say, “Imagine Gal Gadot coming in here doing what she does.” And then for Booth, there was a bit of reconfiguring as we were just trying to figure out actually what that character was. We knew we had this great partner for the Hartley character, but we were always trying to decide how we wanted it played. And as we were starting to hone in on it at the time DJ and I were shooting Hobbs & Shaw in London and Ryan was coming in for his cameo.

And I just remember watching them together, being like, “Oh my God, these guys are incredible together.” Just one little scene sitting across from each other in a diner was fire. And I remember calling our partners and just being like, “I think we have the guy.” I mean, what these two are doing right now is so good. And DJ was so fired up after that cameo where he was on board as well. And so we focused on Ryan for that. We were very fortunate when we shared the script with him. He jumped right on board.

And same thing with Gal, it usually takes a little bit of finagling when you’re dealing with stars of that caliber, but the script and the concept were so fun that they both jumped on instantly. And once we got them on board, things just started rolling. It was a very fast turnaround from when we had pitched the movie to when we were able to get it going. And so sometimes movies just have really good energy like that. You can get buried in development for 10 years. Luckily, this wasn’t one of those situations and it worked out pretty well.

And look, you’re a professional, but there has to be a moment where you’re like, “I have Black Adam, Wonder Woman, and Deadpool all in a movie together.”

Hiram Garcia: Oh yeah. It’s the best part of our job where I think at our core, we’re all fans. I was a fan coming up in this world. I still remember seeing Van Wilder for the first time and being like, “This guy is hilarious.”

So to sit there and you have these moments where they’re on set and you’re just having fun with them. And you’re like, “We’ve got three of the biggest movie stars in the world right now, kicking ass, and just doing what they do best where they’re so talented.” They all look stunning together. There’s not a bad photo that you can take of the three of them. And it really is. It’s a moment where you just have to pinch yourself, make sure you’re not dreaming because it’s not easy to pull together that kind of talent. And then for them to be as wonderful as they were on top of it was even better.

Hiram Garcia Interview Red Notice

So this is a heist movie and I’m a bit guilty. I ask that cliche question all the time of, “Did you steal anything from set?” But as a producer who has worked on some really awesome movies, I wanted to know what your most treasured artifact is from any set you’ve been on. Do you have a most prized possession that comes to mind?

Hiram Garcia: It’s a really good question. I have some cool stuff from Black Adam that’s coming. I have a really great Doctor Fate helmet that I’m really excited about. But I have little bits and bobs all over from stuff we’ve done because you just can’t help but feel a connection to it.

I have some really fun things from when we did Hercules, some cool gear from the Fast and Furious universe. Just little bits that you can decorate around to hold onto memories. But I think right now at the top of my list is probably going to be some of the Black Adam stuff that’s coming in. The Doctor Fate helmet I got, I’m very proud of that one.

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You do have this big, big, big, big, big slate of movies. So where does your focus go now that Red Notice has dropped? Does it go to Black Adam now?

Hiram Garcia: Yeah. So we’re in post [production] on Black Adam. So we’re really focused on now getting that to where we want it to be. We just saw the director’s cut, which is really exciting because, especially in a movie like that, that is so visual effects-driven. You can imagine a director’s cut is really raw. There’s no effects. It’s just a lot of blue screen and previs and you have to use your imagination. But to see it as in the state it’s in, and still, be so entertained with it really informs us that we’re working in the right space.

So we’re focused on that as well as we’re ramping up our first Christmas movie that we’re planning to shoot next year with Amazon, with Jake Kasdan on board, and Chris Morgan’s writing that. So we’re really focused on that and trying to, that’s a big world builder that we are getting ready for next year. So, as well as Young Rock and this year shooting Young Rock for season two. So trying to stay busy and keep all the fires burning.

As things ramp up for Black Adam, I have to wonder because he’s been attached to that since I think 2014. So it must be really exciting to get to this point. What does that feel like? Because it’s like, “Oh, I’ve seen footage. It’s here. It’s happening.”

Hiram Garcia: I remember, it’s so funny. I always like to keep my finger on the pulse. And so many fans are always like, “This movie’s never happening. He’s been talking about it forever.” But from the moment he walked on set in that costume to finally be there after so many years of development. And the reason for that was it’s not a simple character to crack and it’s not an easy movie to tell. And we went through so many iterations. But I think once we realized we wanted to separate Black Adam and Shazam where we were trying to introduce both of them in the same movie and obviously realizing not only are both characters totally so different I think in the kind of story you want to tell around them, but they’re just both require so much space in terms of wanting to really introduce them to the world.

And once we were able to separate them, things really started to pick up. So the years of development paid off and to get the team we have now. And again, that first moment he walked on set as Black Adam was one of those things I’ll never forget. And for him too, and I just, I know him so well and to see how fired up he was to just be in that costume. And our director made the coolest camera test where there’s this incredible music playing. The whole set felt it when this happened, it was a real moment. So we’re thrilled. We’re grinding away on it. I’m excited for you to see it. I think you’re going to have a lot fun with it, and he’s a very different character that we haven’t really seen in the DC world yet. So it’s exciting.

What’s the number one word you said when you saw the first footage?

Hiram Garcia: It was a curse [word]. It was a little bit of a curse of excitement over there. But it really was. I do remember looking over at one of my best friends and producing partner, Beau Flynn, and we just looked at each other and we were like, “Holy bleep, here we are, man. Look at the costume.”

It’s such a grind, as you know. It’s so hard to make any movie. And you can imagine a superhero movie like this and the landscape, it is not easy to get there. And to be there at that moment where you realize this is about to begin, we’re about to begin shooting. And it’s all paid off. It was really cool. And then afterward, there’s a lot of high fives and all right, now let’s get to work. We’re finally here. Now we get to work, let’s start shooting. And then we proceeded to jump into production.

Hiram Garcia Interview Red Notice

I will refrain from going down the entire list of actors because there’s so much I want to talk to you about. But Aldis Hodge, I just can’t believe it took so long for him to be in a giant superhero movie. He is so good. I’m so excited. He’s just so incredible in everything he does.

Hiram Garcia: And he brought such a weight and poise and coolness to Hawkman. Hawkman’s already such a beloved character, but to watch Aldis take control of the character and portray a performance that alludes to a character who has dealt with so much, has been around for so many years. Obviously, reincarnations, iterations, and for fans that are familiar with Hawkman, they know what a bit of a tragic past and love story he has. That Aldis was really able to tap into it.

And not to mention, he also got in incredible shape. I remember the first time we finally got [together] in person in Atlanta and he was jacked. I like to call it the Dwayne Johnson effect where any actor who’s around Dwayne’s like, “Oh, I’ve got to up my game.” And he came in, in incredible shape. His arms were huge. And just, and he’s also really skilled just on top of his acting, but physically as an athlete and as a tactician, when it comes to martial arts and so forth.

He had covered every aspect. He had dedicated so much time to wanting to cover everything with Hawkman that I think fans are going to really be excited with the energy he brings to the character. And also just the coolness that he takes his character who’s been around forever. But seeing it through Aldis’ eyes is really fun.

I can’t wait. And Pierce Brosnan, I mean…

Hiram Garcia: Such an OG. And he’s so smooth, he delivers some lines in the movie that I remember we were shooting on the day and it’s just, nobody could deliver them smoother. As cool as… You’re like, “That’s James Bond. But now he’s Dr. Fate.” And it just elevated the entire cast.

And to see our young cast around him and the way he connected and bonded with them, like Quintessa Swindell and Noah Centineo, to see them just hanging with Pierce Brosnan. And they all hung out on the weekends and they were golfing and, Mo Amer, and the way they just were bonding with him and the way he took them under his wing as such a senior statesman of the industry and to be around this young talent and see how seamlessly they got along. It’s just a testament to him, what a good person he was, and to how well our cast got along. And I think that chemistry really starts to show on set when you watch how they performed together.

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You’re working with a lot of incredible talent. Do you have an actor or actress you would love to work with, as you look ahead to the next Jumanji? The next Jungle Cruise? People you’re thinking about.

Hiram Garcia:Wow, there’s so many talented people and we really have, we’ve been so fortunate to work with some amazing talent. Emily Blunt became one of our best friends and just family after Jungle Cruise. And you look at experiences like that where our paths have never crossed and you would just never have an idea. We always knew she was an amazing talent and we hear her reputation as a wonderful person. But to get around her and really start to form a relationship and a friendship with her, which is why we came out of that. We were determined to find another movie with her. And we were able to find that Kate Warne project with her. But I mean, look, at the top of our list, we’re always, we’d love to work with Hemsworth. I think we’d love to work with Chris Evans, really big fans of those guys.

I mean, look, the list goes on and on. I think there are so many talented people in the business. And we’re in such a good place right now, where there’s such a need for content. There’s so many platforms now for content that there’s just more and more opportunities to tell stories. So the more we can generate that gives us an opportunity to combine with some of this great talent, the more we’re going to work towards it. So the list goes on and on. But yeah, those two come to the top of the list right now. Would love to get DJ with those guys, I think that would be a lot of fun.

What happened with San Andreas 2? I really wanted that.

Hiram Garcia: We actually have ideas. We’re working on something there on how we can continue that story. So, look, disaster movies are so much fun, and that was such a great concept. Our friend, Beau Flynn, had come up with the idea of being like, “You know what? You love disaster movies. And I would love the idea to do something based around a giant earthquake in the San Andreas fault.” So New Line and Warners have always wanted a sequel to that. So we’ve been working hard to figure out how we could crack something in that space.

But we’d love to be able to continue telling the story in that world. And I agree with you, there’s something to just the big cataclysmic… I feel like Roland Emmerich is the master of that. No one wants to destroy the world more but we’d like to try and take a couple of little pieces of it and see what we can blow up as well.

There’s a Scorpion King reboot that’s happening, right?

Hiram Garcia: Yeah, it is. We are, Universal had come to us and really wanted to figure out how we can open up that world again. So we’ve been having a lot of fun figuring out how we want to crack that. But that is in the works. We’re looking at bringing a Scorpion King world back to life. And it’s such a special property because for me, it was my first film I ever worked on. It’s when I realized I wanted to be a producer. It was DJ’s first starring role. So there’s a lot of love for that franchise. And if we can figure out how to bring it back to the fans in a fun way, it would be really rewarding for us.

That makes me really happy. What did you think of the script?

Hiram Garcia: Well, we don’t have a script yet. We’re working on a concept on just how we want to crack it. It’s a delicate thing about how we feel best we can reintroduce the character to the world and do it in a fun way and where it doesn’t feel like we’re retreading. So this is the adventure of development. Some things are quick, some take a little bit longer, but it is in the works. So we have to stay close on that so I can keep you posted.

You don’t have to answer this at all, but what was up with that Vin Diesel post?

Hiram Garcia: Look, you can never predict or control what’s going to come out of that world. So I’m very used to it by now. I think we’re both very used to it. I know. I haven’t been able to really connect with DJ on it because he’s been buried in promoting Red Notice. But yeah, I’m used to it. It’s what comes with that world. You get crazy curve balls thrown and you just roll with it.

It’s the Fast family. Look, DJ’s the biggest movie star in the world. No one’s below trying all attempts and approaches to try and get him on board. So I appreciate it. You got to take your shot. You never know. I’m sure there’s a couple DMs that slid in there too. I’m sure he slid into the DMs as well.

Lastly, just circling back to Red Notice. I loved how open-ended the ending was because it does set up for a potential sequel. I’m curious if that was intentional. Is there a plan? Or was it more like, we’ll see how people on and see what happens?

Hiram Garcia: It’s a mixture of fun and a little intentional. We never like to get ahead of ourselves. So obviously, the fans get to dictate if we’re worthy of a sequel. But as good producers, you always want to be ready. And you always want to have something in your back pocket where we do have ideas and Rawson had come up with another story that would allow us to take these characters on another adventure. So, fingers crossed, our audience response has been fantastic. And I think if the fans respond the way we plan to, we have some ideas on how we could continue the story and see the three of these guys go on more romps around the world.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/hiram-garcia-interview-red-notice/

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