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| Edited By: Rucha Sharma |Source: DNA webdesk |Updated: Jul 28, 2017, 01:24 PM IST
People who love the comedy movie genre to the level of being cult followers can never forget Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn. Especially since the cast of the 2004 movie had a reunion for a charity project for Omaze in June this year. The director behind Dodgeball, Rawson Marshall Thurber has had a prolific career since. With 2013's We're the Millers, starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis and 2016's summer smash hit Central Intelligence starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, being the mentions worth raving about.
Thurber is now moving on from the comedy genre to an out 'n out action thriller with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's new movie Skyscraper. The movie which is being described as a hostage-action-thriller set in China, also stars Neve Campbell of Scream series fame and they have recently added American God's Pablo Schrieber to the cast.
On the occasion of the Indian television premiere of Central Intelligence, Thurber talked to DNA about his love for movies, his upcoming projects, and how it is to work with 'The Rock'.
The easy answer is I like to laugh. But I think it comes down to when I was a kid, my mother would always laugh at everything I said. But she laughs easily, so I just grew up thinking I am really funny, but you know probably wasn't (laughs). And I just got the confidence that I was very funny thanks to my mom and that's probably why I am here.
I don't know if it's organic. I think it's pretty uncommon to do it. I just always loved action movies since I was a little kid. In fact, the movie I am prepping for right now (Skyscraper) is a straight up action movie. I always wanted to make action movies. I really love Central Intelligence so I would never call it a stepping stone, but it's definitely a bridge to straight up action.
I guess I will say cinema, only because I have done it more. I just finished making my first TV show for YouTube Red called Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television. So that's my first foray into TV. I am excited about it and I hope I get to make more shows because it's incredibly interesting to get to spend 10 hours with a character instead of 90 minutes. But I'd say feature film right now.
Oh wow! I sure can! This is actually the first time anybody has ever asked me about the show. Actually, it's connected to Central Intelligence. Because Ryan was in CI playing a small part opposite Kevin Hart. And he was so funny in the movie that my producer Beau Bauman said, "We gotta do something with Ryan." and I said, "We gotta do like a TV show with him." I was such a fan on Ryan Hansen, that I wrote a television show which is basically a half-hour cop show where he plays a heightened version of himself as he and a police detective, solve crimes. It is very tongue-in-cheek which is thrilling.
I want to direct The Umbrella Academy which Netflix is about to make as a Television show. So if I could pick one superhero movie to make, it would be The Umbrella Academy. Or Hawkman DC. I like Hawkman a lot.
He is the best. He is not only the hardest working guy you'll ever meet, (I know people say that a lot, but he actually is!) but he is also incredibly gracious and kind. He takes the work seriously but doesn't take himself seriously, which I really appreciate. Boy, when I made Central Intelligence with Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson, it was the best experience I ever had, so I am very excited to do it again on Skyscraper.
The one thing I will say is you never want to leave your phone unattended around Kevin or Dwayne. Because they will take very strange pictures on your phone and you won't find out about it until you are checking your pictures and you are like 'what the hell is that!' So they like to play pranks that way.
You can catch the Indian Television Premiere of 'Central Intelligence' on July 30 on Sony Pix.
