Nafissa Jeetoo chats with Award-winning British producer & CEO of Richwater Films, Jonathan Sothcott, about his recent release Vendetta and what we can expect in 2014...
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Nafissa Jeetoo: Hi Jonathan, I’d like to start by thanking you for taking the time to answer the questions I have in store. And... *applause* well done with Vendetta, a successfully gripping action movie where revenge is best served... Erm...BLOODY!! So... who came up with the idea of Vendetta, and why did you make it happen? Be honest... even if this masterpiece stemmed from drunken banter!
Jonathan Sothcott: I had been working with a writer/director called Stephen Reynolds. He sent me a short film called Snowman a couple of years back, which he had ambitions to turn into a feature. It was stylish and I loved the concept, but it was more comic book than Death Wish. But it made enough of an impression that I got him to write two scripts for me – an unrealised Danny Dyer/Tamer Hassan project called Played and what ultimately became known as The Fall of the Essex Boys. In both cases I found Steve incredibly easy to work with and we shared a love of 80s and 90s action movies. The writing on both of these scripts was a cut above the norm and I pushed Steve as director on Fall of the Essex Boys (which was known as Feral at the time) but the politics of my contemporary situation meant that wasn’t a goer. I was very disappointed in Fall of the Essex Boys, it had some great actors but it was made without care or attention to detail. I had pretty much lost interest in film-making at that point and FOTEB is indicative of that, it was just another TV dinner coming off a conveyor belt.
I had come up with the idea to make a vigilante film as a bit of a last hurrah, initially as a micro budget vehicle for Nick Nevern, an actor I’d been working with, who was building momentum as a leading man in crime movies. I got Steve to start writing it and originally, the central character was a squaddie who was now working a normal job. Eventually, Nick called me to say that his dream project, The Hooligan Factory, had been greenlit and that the dates would clash. He graciously agreed to do a cameo. I had attached Steve as director and at the time there was resistance to this from various quarters, which really surprised me. So I had mentally decided to strike out on my own and do this – in the past I had been content to let producer partners actually make the films while I concentrated on financing and distribution. It was time to roll my sleeves up. I had a script I really believed in. But I needed a star.
Serendipity, however, was at work and the film Gods were about to smile on me. I had a call from old pal Danny Dyer – he’d just done Run For Your Wife and was at a low point – he’d been in some bad films which had flopped and needed a decent project. I told him I had a vigilante movie. He read the script and LOVED it. So I had a leading man. I now had to get over initial reluctance from financiers and indeed other cast about it being ‘a Danny Dyer film'. But I had faith in Danny, the film and Stephen.
So ultimately, if you like, the idea for Vendetta was mine, influenced by movies such as the Death Wish series, First Blood and Above the Law. But it is very much a creation of Stephen, he came up with all those ‘orrible dark murders which seem to be resonating with people and he deserves the plaudits for turning out a good movie.
NJ: Vendetta has the potential to appeal to a worldwide audience. However it is clearly established as an independent British film. Was it a challenge to create a project with the hope of international interest whilst maintaining national roots throughout?
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JS: It was a conscious decision to set Vendetta in a ‘bigger world’ than just the back streets of East London and I think that we achieved this by introducing the ‘Whitehall want him alive because he has secret intel’ strand of the plot. Interestingly, it’s a part of the film that people either love or hate but I think it more than served its purpose.
Casting was key on this film and it was crucial to surround Dyer with a credible ensemble and not just ‘usual suspect’ gangster film actors. The first one we got was Vincent Regan, who I’d always wanted to work with. He’s just such a classy actor. Once he was on board, the stars seemed to align and in quick succession we landed Josef Altin, Alistair Petrie, Bruce Payne and Roxanne McKee. All of them have fantastic international film credits and make it feel more than just another British movie.
Following on from that, I think it was important to Steve and I to make an independent British film that could stand on an international stage with its head held high. It’s a proper film with proper actors and although it was made on a very low budget I believe that the quality shines through.
NJ: Did you predict Vendetta would receive the positive reception it has done recently?
JS: I always had the utmost belief in Steve, Danny and the film, but there were always two hurdles to jump – the section of the press that don’t like Danny, and the section of the press that hate vigilante movies on principal. There is often a crossover, too. I knew we couldn’t fight the vigilante issue that is what it is, the issue was, would critics give Danny a chance? And the majority did – often through gritted teeth – but they did. It was clear to everyone that this wasn’t a Freerunner, a Jack Said or a Last Seven. It was a proper film and Danny was fantastic in it. What was incredibly flattering, however, is how much people enjoyed the movie. Reading the hundreds and hundreds of positive tweets from people after they’d seen it at the cinema was more rewarding than the good reviews, as amazing as they are.
NJ: As a British Horror Film Award winning producer, it's fair to say you like to have an acquired taste in gore galore... The scene where Jimmy's dad gets a smile sliced on his face had an uncanny resemblance to The Joker. Were you influenced or inspired by any other references when filming various torture scenes through the film?
JS: I’m actually very squeamish, believe it or not – and every time I see Vendetta I still have to look away from the screen when the gang attack Jimmy’s parents. All of these inventive deaths, however, come from the dark, dark imagination of young Reynolds. We had discussed the imaginative deaths in the later Death Wish movies (my favourite is the remote-controlled football bomb in Death Wish V) but he has a fantastic imagination, no doubt about it. I think the cement scene is very special indeed.
NJ: Argh *squint* let’s not relive that cement scene and go back to Danny Dyer… He seems to be your muse, when did you last hang out?
JS: Haha, my muse, that really made me laugh. But I guess you’re right in a way, he is my go-to movie star but that isn’t because we’re friends. It's for two different reasons – (1) he has a unique position as an actor who’s name above a title works for distributors in independent UK films because he has a massive, loyal fanbase and (2) because, even better than that, he’s incredibly easy to work with – the cast and crew all adore him, he’s such a sweetheart. Last time we hung out was at the first public screening of Vendetta a few weeks back but we talk every few days on the phone. Our respective girlfriends are friends too. It’s a funny friendship with Danny because we are very different but we’re about the same age and have a similar sense of humour. When I see him and he sees me we both get this kind of amused grin, it's like we’re both in on a joke. He’s a great guy – much more astute than people give him credit for and he never takes himself too seriously. In a different era he’d have knocked about with Richard Harris and Oliver Reed.
NJ: Watching Vendetta reminded me of recent shows such as Top Boy and The Tunnel. Have you considered producing a TV series?
JS: When I first came into this business as a producer I had a TV show in development with a major broadcaster and thought that my career as a TV producer was set. We were casting when one commissioning editor left and another came in and dumped all current development projects. Once that’s happened the project is basically dead, no other broadcaster wants a show that has been discarded by someone else. That really spurred me on to make independent films where there were a lot more options. Having said all of that I would not be against trying TV again – particularly if Steven Moffatt wants to give me his job running Doctor Who– now that would be fun.
NJ: The finale introduces two thugs with an American accent, who I assume get a thrashing after the shot of Jimmy's brooding glare... Does this mean Vendetta 2: Annihilation will be set in America? Or is this a glimpse into possible interests/aspirations of taking on America?
JS: I am very happy making movies in Britain at the minute, I love working with my brilliant crew here and I am a massive fan of the British film industry. The epilogue set in New York in Vendetta does indeed point to an American opening for a sequel.
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NJ: Ooh… How do you feel about the sequel? What should we expect?
JS: Obviously it is very early days but we have an idea. There’s no point in just rushing out a sequel if we don’t care, that kind of mentality drives me mad. But Jimmy is a character that Steve, Danny and I feel we can do more with and there’s clearly an appetite for another one. If it comes off it will be bigger, badder and more violent – expect many of the characters to return and for the stakes to be considerably higher. And expect more nods to the great action classics of yesteryear.
NJ: Do you have any teasing exclusive info on future plans?
JS: Well I’d be happy making a Vendetta film a year so long as there’s an interest. Steve and I are working on another action project next year called Renegades, a kind of Wild Geese/Expendables type movie which I’m very excited about.
NJ: Your cameo at the restaurant is very Hitchcock-esque. Would you like to follow in his footsteps?
JS: It was so embarrassing, I never thought anyone'd notice. That day we filmed at my friend’s restaurant very early in the morning so we were really short on extras and I stepped in. I hated it, I know which side of the camera I belong on!
NJ: Erm Hello!! *waves arms* I think Lionel forgot to tell you it was me you were looking for. Okay that was poor haha… But seriously, I’m totally available as an extra, especially if it involves eating food! OK random question… If you had to choose 5 famous movie characters to feature in a potential future project together, who would they be and why?
JS: Oh wow that’s a brilliant question. I’d like to do a team up movie of great action heroes and I’d pick – Roger Moore’s James Bond (my favourite), Steven Seagal in Under Siege, Bronson in Death Wish 3, Stallone in Cobra and Arnie in Commando. The villains of the world would just raise a big, collective white flag wouldn’t they?
NJ: Well sounds like “The Expendables” should watch out! Perhaps you should call it “The Explodables” haha! Moving on… Jimmy was quoted: "There's no such thing as a complication, only a problem derived by a person in a situation" Quite poetic really. So, were there any problems derived by people in situations whilst filming? If so, what were they and how did you overcome them?
JS: Despite the low budget it was an incredibly easy, smooth shoot – and a testament to what a great director Steve is and how he ran his set. It snowed, it rained, it was cold, locations dropped out… but despite all of that it was by far the happiest professional experience of my life.
NJ: If there's something strange in the neighbourhood... Who you would you call? Apart from The Ghostbusters or Danny Dyer of course…
JS: I’d be out there myself, with my Spectrometer! I am fascinated by the unknown and the paranormal (who isn’t) which is probably why I made horror movies for so long even though I wasn’t very good at it!
NJ: On a serious note, your achievements this year is immensely impressive and inspiring. What advise would you give someone who has had a light-bulb moment and knows what they want to achieve, but not sure how to go about it?
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JS: Well thank you, that’s an incredibly nice thing to say. I have been plugging away at trying to get this right for years. I think my biggest problem was that I never had enough self belief – I always thought that I needed other people to work with and that I couldn’t actually pop my head above the parapet and do it myself. I was fortunate in that my girlfriend and family believed in me, even though I had made some awful films. When I launched my company Richwater Films and made Vendetta I jumped over the bloody parapet all guns blazing. And, touch wood, it seems to be working. There’s an old adage ‘be nice to people on the way up because you’ll meet them coming down again’ – in the past I always thought that producers had to be bastards really, that it was better to be feared than loved. But you don’t have to be Bill Murray in Scrooged. I had dinner with Vincent Regan the other night and he said a very shrewd thing – “everybody wants to work with the nice guys.” And he’s one of the nicest but he was absolutely right. So if you do have a light bulb moment, treat people right – you don’t have to stomp on everyone to get to the top, because if you do it’ll be very lonely when you get there. We are so lucky doing what we do, making films, and you certainly don’t need to abuse that luck.
NJ: It's not what you know, It's who you know. What are your thoughts on this statement?
JS: I think it's very true in the film industry and that’s depressing – if the gravy train in this business broke down because of leaves on the line, you’d find that the British film business would go from strength to strength. Get rid of all the soft money dished out by people who don’t understand commercial films. I really hate the quango culture that exists around the ‘creative industries’ and which allows us all to be tarred with the ‘uncommercial’ brush while these people quaff champagne paid for with taxpayer money. It's boring and it should be obsolete.
NJ: ‘Tis a Mad World indeed! But… It's Richwater Films first birthday soon. What does next year have in store?
JS: I’ve just wrapped a movie called Top Dog for Universal which Martin Kemp directed and which was written by Dougie Brimson (Green Street). It’s a gangster/hooligan film and stars Leo Gregory, Ricci Harnett and Vincent Regan. I’m about to do a picture directed by Ricci, another gangster film, but something a bit different. I like actors who direct, they understand how a set needs to work. As to next year… well, a Vendetta sequel is a definite possibility, there’s Renegades and I have a couple of other projects called We Still Kill The Old Way and Age of Kill. Less gangsters, more action I think – and more international. Maybe some television. Maybe another stab at horror (but something high concept like The Purge– and shot here). And hopefully another happy year of working with amazing, talented people.
NJ: Exciting stuff Jonathan, good luck and looking forward to seeing your projects come to life on the big screen!
Many thanks to Jonathan Sothcott for taking the time for this interview.
Vendetta is available on DVD and Blu-ray on December 23rd. Pre-order it here.
Nafissa Jeetoo
Jonathan Sothcott: I had been working with a writer/director called Stephen Reynolds. He sent me a short film called Snowman a couple of years back, which he had ambitions to turn into a feature. It was stylish and I loved the concept, but it was more comic book than Death Wish. But it made enough of an impression that I got him to write two scripts for me – an unrealised Danny Dyer/Tamer Hassan project called Played and what ultimately became known as The Fall of the Essex Boys. In both cases I found Steve incredibly easy to work with and we shared a love of 80s and 90s action movies. The writing on both of these scripts was a cut above the norm and I pushed Steve as director on Fall of the Essex Boys (which was known as Feral at the time) but the politics of my contemporary situation meant that wasn’t a goer. I was very disappointed in Fall of the Essex Boys, it had some great actors but it was made without care or attention to detail. I had pretty much lost interest in film-making at that point and FOTEB is indicative of that, it was just another TV dinner coming off a conveyor belt.
I had come up with the idea to make a vigilante film as a bit of a last hurrah, initially as a micro budget vehicle for Nick Nevern, an actor I’d been working with, who was building momentum as a leading man in crime movies. I got Steve to start writing it and originally, the central character was a squaddie who was now working a normal job. Eventually, Nick called me to say that his dream project, The Hooligan Factory, had been greenlit and that the dates would clash. He graciously agreed to do a cameo. I had attached Steve as director and at the time there was resistance to this from various quarters, which really surprised me. So I had mentally decided to strike out on my own and do this – in the past I had been content to let producer partners actually make the films while I concentrated on financing and distribution. It was time to roll my sleeves up. I had a script I really believed in. But I needed a star.
Serendipity, however, was at work and the film Gods were about to smile on me. I had a call from old pal Danny Dyer – he’d just done Run For Your Wife and was at a low point – he’d been in some bad films which had flopped and needed a decent project. I told him I had a vigilante movie. He read the script and LOVED it. So I had a leading man. I now had to get over initial reluctance from financiers and indeed other cast about it being ‘a Danny Dyer film'. But I had faith in Danny, the film and Stephen.
So ultimately, if you like, the idea for Vendetta was mine, influenced by movies such as the Death Wish series, First Blood and Above the Law. But it is very much a creation of Stephen, he came up with all those ‘orrible dark murders which seem to be resonating with people and he deserves the plaudits for turning out a good movie.
NJ: Vendetta has the potential to appeal to a worldwide audience. However it is clearly established as an independent British film. Was it a challenge to create a project with the hope of international interest whilst maintaining national roots throughout?
.jpg)
Casting was key on this film and it was crucial to surround Dyer with a credible ensemble and not just ‘usual suspect’ gangster film actors. The first one we got was Vincent Regan, who I’d always wanted to work with. He’s just such a classy actor. Once he was on board, the stars seemed to align and in quick succession we landed Josef Altin, Alistair Petrie, Bruce Payne and Roxanne McKee. All of them have fantastic international film credits and make it feel more than just another British movie.
Following on from that, I think it was important to Steve and I to make an independent British film that could stand on an international stage with its head held high. It’s a proper film with proper actors and although it was made on a very low budget I believe that the quality shines through.
NJ: Did you predict Vendetta would receive the positive reception it has done recently?
JS: I always had the utmost belief in Steve, Danny and the film, but there were always two hurdles to jump – the section of the press that don’t like Danny, and the section of the press that hate vigilante movies on principal. There is often a crossover, too. I knew we couldn’t fight the vigilante issue that is what it is, the issue was, would critics give Danny a chance? And the majority did – often through gritted teeth – but they did. It was clear to everyone that this wasn’t a Freerunner, a Jack Said or a Last Seven. It was a proper film and Danny was fantastic in it. What was incredibly flattering, however, is how much people enjoyed the movie. Reading the hundreds and hundreds of positive tweets from people after they’d seen it at the cinema was more rewarding than the good reviews, as amazing as they are.
NJ: As a British Horror Film Award winning producer, it's fair to say you like to have an acquired taste in gore galore... The scene where Jimmy's dad gets a smile sliced on his face had an uncanny resemblance to The Joker. Were you influenced or inspired by any other references when filming various torture scenes through the film?
JS: I’m actually very squeamish, believe it or not – and every time I see Vendetta I still have to look away from the screen when the gang attack Jimmy’s parents. All of these inventive deaths, however, come from the dark, dark imagination of young Reynolds. We had discussed the imaginative deaths in the later Death Wish movies (my favourite is the remote-controlled football bomb in Death Wish V) but he has a fantastic imagination, no doubt about it. I think the cement scene is very special indeed.
NJ: Argh *squint* let’s not relive that cement scene and go back to Danny Dyer… He seems to be your muse, when did you last hang out?
JS: Haha, my muse, that really made me laugh. But I guess you’re right in a way, he is my go-to movie star but that isn’t because we’re friends. It's for two different reasons – (1) he has a unique position as an actor who’s name above a title works for distributors in independent UK films because he has a massive, loyal fanbase and (2) because, even better than that, he’s incredibly easy to work with – the cast and crew all adore him, he’s such a sweetheart. Last time we hung out was at the first public screening of Vendetta a few weeks back but we talk every few days on the phone. Our respective girlfriends are friends too. It’s a funny friendship with Danny because we are very different but we’re about the same age and have a similar sense of humour. When I see him and he sees me we both get this kind of amused grin, it's like we’re both in on a joke. He’s a great guy – much more astute than people give him credit for and he never takes himself too seriously. In a different era he’d have knocked about with Richard Harris and Oliver Reed.
NJ: Watching Vendetta reminded me of recent shows such as Top Boy and The Tunnel. Have you considered producing a TV series?
JS: When I first came into this business as a producer I had a TV show in development with a major broadcaster and thought that my career as a TV producer was set. We were casting when one commissioning editor left and another came in and dumped all current development projects. Once that’s happened the project is basically dead, no other broadcaster wants a show that has been discarded by someone else. That really spurred me on to make independent films where there were a lot more options. Having said all of that I would not be against trying TV again – particularly if Steven Moffatt wants to give me his job running Doctor Who– now that would be fun.
NJ: The finale introduces two thugs with an American accent, who I assume get a thrashing after the shot of Jimmy's brooding glare... Does this mean Vendetta 2: Annihilation will be set in America? Or is this a glimpse into possible interests/aspirations of taking on America?
JS: I am very happy making movies in Britain at the minute, I love working with my brilliant crew here and I am a massive fan of the British film industry. The epilogue set in New York in Vendetta does indeed point to an American opening for a sequel.
NJ: Ooh… How do you feel about the sequel? What should we expect?JS: Obviously it is very early days but we have an idea. There’s no point in just rushing out a sequel if we don’t care, that kind of mentality drives me mad. But Jimmy is a character that Steve, Danny and I feel we can do more with and there’s clearly an appetite for another one. If it comes off it will be bigger, badder and more violent – expect many of the characters to return and for the stakes to be considerably higher. And expect more nods to the great action classics of yesteryear.
NJ: Do you have any teasing exclusive info on future plans?
JS: Well I’d be happy making a Vendetta film a year so long as there’s an interest. Steve and I are working on another action project next year called Renegades, a kind of Wild Geese/Expendables type movie which I’m very excited about.
NJ: Your cameo at the restaurant is very Hitchcock-esque. Would you like to follow in his footsteps?
JS: It was so embarrassing, I never thought anyone'd notice. That day we filmed at my friend’s restaurant very early in the morning so we were really short on extras and I stepped in. I hated it, I know which side of the camera I belong on!
NJ: Erm Hello!! *waves arms* I think Lionel forgot to tell you it was me you were looking for. Okay that was poor haha… But seriously, I’m totally available as an extra, especially if it involves eating food! OK random question… If you had to choose 5 famous movie characters to feature in a potential future project together, who would they be and why?
JS: Oh wow that’s a brilliant question. I’d like to do a team up movie of great action heroes and I’d pick – Roger Moore’s James Bond (my favourite), Steven Seagal in Under Siege, Bronson in Death Wish 3, Stallone in Cobra and Arnie in Commando. The villains of the world would just raise a big, collective white flag wouldn’t they?
NJ: Well sounds like “The Expendables” should watch out! Perhaps you should call it “The Explodables” haha! Moving on… Jimmy was quoted: "There's no such thing as a complication, only a problem derived by a person in a situation" Quite poetic really. So, were there any problems derived by people in situations whilst filming? If so, what were they and how did you overcome them?
JS: Despite the low budget it was an incredibly easy, smooth shoot – and a testament to what a great director Steve is and how he ran his set. It snowed, it rained, it was cold, locations dropped out… but despite all of that it was by far the happiest professional experience of my life.
NJ: If there's something strange in the neighbourhood... Who you would you call? Apart from The Ghostbusters or Danny Dyer of course…
JS: I’d be out there myself, with my Spectrometer! I am fascinated by the unknown and the paranormal (who isn’t) which is probably why I made horror movies for so long even though I wasn’t very good at it!
NJ: On a serious note, your achievements this year is immensely impressive and inspiring. What advise would you give someone who has had a light-bulb moment and knows what they want to achieve, but not sure how to go about it?
.jpg)
NJ: It's not what you know, It's who you know. What are your thoughts on this statement?
JS: I think it's very true in the film industry and that’s depressing – if the gravy train in this business broke down because of leaves on the line, you’d find that the British film business would go from strength to strength. Get rid of all the soft money dished out by people who don’t understand commercial films. I really hate the quango culture that exists around the ‘creative industries’ and which allows us all to be tarred with the ‘uncommercial’ brush while these people quaff champagne paid for with taxpayer money. It's boring and it should be obsolete.
NJ: ‘Tis a Mad World indeed! But… It's Richwater Films first birthday soon. What does next year have in store?
JS: I’ve just wrapped a movie called Top Dog for Universal which Martin Kemp directed and which was written by Dougie Brimson (Green Street). It’s a gangster/hooligan film and stars Leo Gregory, Ricci Harnett and Vincent Regan. I’m about to do a picture directed by Ricci, another gangster film, but something a bit different. I like actors who direct, they understand how a set needs to work. As to next year… well, a Vendetta sequel is a definite possibility, there’s Renegades and I have a couple of other projects called We Still Kill The Old Way and Age of Kill. Less gangsters, more action I think – and more international. Maybe some television. Maybe another stab at horror (but something high concept like The Purge– and shot here). And hopefully another happy year of working with amazing, talented people.
NJ: Exciting stuff Jonathan, good luck and looking forward to seeing your projects come to life on the big screen!
Many thanks to Jonathan Sothcott for taking the time for this interview.
Vendetta is available on DVD and Blu-ray on December 23rd. Pre-order it here.
Nafissa Jeetoo