Geekscape Talks To ‘Enormous’ Producer Adrian Askarieh!
Today marks the launch of Machinima’s latest internet-breaking video Enormous, based on the comic book series by Tim Daniel and Mehdi Cheggour. The story, based in a world where giant kaiju-like monsters have devastated modern civilization, takes it’s cues more from human survival stories like The Walking Dead than big monster spectacles like Godzilla or Pacific Rim.
That’s not to say that Enormous isn’t without its huge monsters, as you’ll see if you watch the first video based on the series right here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eq3tCdal2M
One of the people behind bringing Enormous to the online space is Geekscape friend and past guest Adrian Askarieh, Producer of the series and the man responsible for discovering the property while walking a Con floor! We had ourselves a little chat about Enormous (and the upcoming Hitman film Agent 47) and here’s what he had to say about everything:
Okay, I know the story, but why don’t you tell the Geekscapists: how did you get involved in Enormous? How’d you discover it?
I was walking the floor at Comic-Con in 2012 on Preview Night and ran right up onto the Image Comics booth which had this wonderfully unique looking large format graphic novel. After 5 minutes of thumbing through it, I had promised its creator, Tim Daniel, that I would be making it into a high-end digital series within two years. Who says that deals don’t happen at Comic-Con anymore?!
At what point did Machinima get involved?
As for Machinima, I was a big fan of what they were doing and how they were branding themselves with the “Lost Boys” generation of males 16-34. They were my one-and-only choice to partner with. To their credit, they backed us all the way even though this fell a bit outside of their branded video game adaptations.
Why is the web space the right place to launch something like this? What advantages does it give you over traditional media like TV or film?
The upside is incredibly high if you stick with the model. More people have immediate access to content on the Web than on any other format. We felt that the Web was a great launching point for something as ambitious as Enormous simply because it would stand out because if its scope, and hopefully find a life of it’s own.
Creatively, how do you separate a property like this from Godzilla? How are they different and where do you see Enormous going?
Other than having giant monsters in it, Enormous is as different from Godzilla as Superman is from Thor. It spiritually shares more attributes with shows like Lost and The Walking Dead.
So what are some of your favorite post-pocalyptic or kaiju stories? Were you a fan of those kinds of properties before discovering Enormous?
Yes and no. I loved the original Godzilla and King Kong Vs Godzilla but never really had the opportunity to delve fully into the whole Kaiju genre. But in a way I think that gives Enormous an advantage in terms of incorporating an outsider’s perspective. In terms of “post-apocalyptic” fare, the original Mad Max and Road Warrior are among my favorites.
Well, don’t leave us hanging after this first one! How many episodes do you guys have prepped, shot or written?
We have the rough outline for 9 more. But it will grow from there.
As video game fans, what can you tell us about Agent 47? Is this going to make Rupert Friend a household name?
We are only in our 4th week of production here in Berlin and it is way too early for me to talk about it. All I will say is that we all believe that we are making a good movie. As for Rupert, we could not be happier with what he is doing with the character.
Thanks, Adrian. Come back on Geekscape when you return from filming! In the meantime, we’ll make sure everyone here keeps watching Enormous (and why not!?! It has a giant monster in it)!
