GOING UNDERGROUND: An Interview With GREEN STREET 3: NEVER BACK DOWN Director JAMES NUNN
Going just a few weeks into October, New York Comic Con attendees and fans of martial arts action superstar Scott Adkins could not wait to meet him and the cast of his forthcoming film, Hercules: The Legend Begins; I had to miss out that weekend for work purposes. That event led to the straightforward promotional push in London for Adkins‘s latest role as a vengeful underground brawler in director James Nunn‘s newly released clandestine sports and MMA action revenge thriller, Green Street 3: Never Back Down.
James Nunn: Well, Lionsgate distributed my first film TOWER BLOCK in the UK and off the back of that my collaborators: Tea Shop & Film, Ronnie Thompson and I developed a great relationship with them as a production company. If you’ve seen my work it’s probably pretty obvious that I’m very much a high concept, action, thriller, genre film fan – and I’ve been looking to try and bring an American vibe to low-budget British cinema. In a meeting with Lionsgate at the Cannes Film Festival (2012) They mentioned GREEN STREET 3 as a project they have wanted to get behind for a while, this sparked my interest and so it began.
FCSyndicate: Compared to the two previous films, what inspired you to take this one heavy into mixed martial arts territory with Scott Adkins as the lead?
JN: The hooligan genre is very successful in the UK but in recent years it has felt like very similar, almost carbon copy films are released regularly. My gut told me to take a gamble, and try to make something really unique that would sit with the Green Street Hooligan franchise but also stand alone from it. In the same way they rebrand Batman every 10 years, I thought, why the hell not try something nobody has done before and mash up Hooligans with MMA style fighting – If you’re going to do that… Green Street is the best ‘Hooligan’ brand to accompany your film and Scott Adkins is the BEST screen fighter in the world currently (and happens to also be a great actor!)
JN: Too many brilliant memories to recount – One which always makes me chuckle is that we shot the film during one of England’s coldest winters – I found it very amusing to arrive on set or be setting up a shot and see all these ‘ultra-tough guys’ standing around in big puffy jackets with hot water bottles and shivering… Man up lads!
JN: Football Hooliganism in the UK is low-key now compared to the 80s. Violence exists in the sport but it was much worse many years ago. I think its a very primal feeling in men – guys have their teams and they’re proud of them. It’s like defending your pride, your team, your country – this mentality combined with the added backup of a large group of alcohol fuelled men can sometimes be a dangerous combination. It still exists on a small level but it is organised, Joe Bloggs is not going to get into a fight at a football match unless they go looking for one – certain dress codes might indicate that you’re up for a scrap… (say no more)
JN: Sadly not. I really enjoyed his book and would like to meet him – although I’m not sure how he might perceive my film – it’s a very different kind of story. Although, other former ‘hooligans’ were involved in making Green Street 3 and they we’re great guys to have around – very intense, but also light-hearted on the subject and full of fantastic stories!
JN: Sadly once you’ve done your job and you’ve delivered the film it gets passed to producers and distributors – I don’t have the dates for the releases worldwide but I know most countries have picked it up – I think it will be in the USA by December 2013. Normally I find out about a week or two before, Sorry 🙁
JN: Expect the unexpected and go in with an open mind. You’re not required to have seen the other movies – the only relation is the title. It’s not football heavy and it’s a very different, fresh take on the British hooligan movie – I’ve tried to make something which you’ve never seen come out of England before. And possibly something you’ve not seen internationally before. From the music to the slow motion it is a really fun 80’s style fight movie, Scott Adkins gives a fantastic performance as an actor and screen fighter. My agent says it reminds her of an adult version of The Karate Kid – ha!
JN: Me and Scott keep in regular contact. We have a few ideas bubbling away – you will certainly see us teaming up again in the not to distant future! I love that dude, WE WILL BE BACK.
JN: Bigger and better! When I’m shooting again FCS will be the first to know.
I want to send a humble thank you to Kerry Porter for helping organize this e-mail interview, and many thanks to James for sharing his thoughts with Film Combat Syndicate on his latest new film. Currently, I’m working to see if we can schedule a discussion between Adkins and the Syndicate’s UK contributor, Scott Wiley, so stay tuned for more updates. Also, follow James Nunn on Twitter and be on the lookout for further release news for Green Street 3: Never Back Down.
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Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!