Opening in theaters on October 4th is the new spooky family adventure film ‘Monster Summer’, which was directed by actor David Henrie (‘Reagan’).
The film stars Mason Thames (‘The Black Phone’), Kevin James (‘Grown Ups’), Lorraine Bracco (‘Goodfellas’), and Oscar-winner Mel Gibson (‘Lethal Weapon’ and ‘Braveheart’).
Related Article: Ethan Hawke Talks New Horror Film ‘The Black Phone’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with Mel Gibson and Mason Thames to talk about their work on ‘Monster Summer’, Thames’ first reaction to the screenplay, Noah’s friendship with Gene, Gibson’s approach to his character, and his experience working with the young cast and actor-turned-director David Henrie.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, Mason, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and joining this spooky family adventure?
Mason Thames: Yeah, the way you just described it is so perfect, but it was just something that you don’t really see very often, and especially getting to work with Mel. I was like, “Oh, this is just a no-brainer,” so I just jumped at it. Especially, David, the director, he was the nicest person I think I’ve ever met in my life, and he had a vision for it, and getting to be a part of that was a lot of fun.
MF: Mel, can you talk about your approach to playing Gene, the great loss he has suffered and the friendship he forms with Noah?
Mel Gibson: Well, he’s lived life and he’s in the third act. So, he’s retired, and he’s obviously got a lot of stuff behind him, pain and stories and experience, and some of the experiences he’s had, he’s forgotten. I think meeting this kid fills a gap that was missing in his life. He was just some old guy with a hat that lived alone. Everyone thinks he buried his wife in the garden, and a lot of stories going around about the guy. Then, of course, he gets to do what he’s good at. He has a talent because he’s an old detective, and so there’s a mystery and they solve this mystery together, and it’s really a buddy movie.
MF: Mason, how would you describe the friendship Noah forms with Gene?
MT: Noah’s father, he died, and he was a journalist. He was missing that father figure, and in a weird way, I don’t think he was seeking it, but he found one with Gene and solving this mystery, and the weird adventure they went on. I really love that dynamic they have. It was fun to do.
MF: What was your experience like working with Mel and creating that relationship with him?
MT: It was a lot of fun. It was easy, especially working with him. We didn’t have much time, but we clicked easily, so it was a lot of fun.
MF: Mel, in addition to being an actor you are also an Oscar-winning director. What was it like working with David Henrie, who is also an actor-turned-director?
MG: I had a lot of empathy, and ditto what Mason said. David’s the nicest guy in the world, honestly. He truly is. So, it was so good to work with him. He’s humble, so that if I had a suggestion, he was like, “Oh yeah, let’s hear that,” or whatever. It’s a no-brainer, also. I had coffee with the guy, and I said, “Let’s go to work, man.” That’s usually what it takes, and then if there’s wrinkles in the script or story points or any of that stuff, you say, “Well, we’re going to be able to take care of that because you and I are on the same page.”
MF: Were there any changes you needed made to the script to play the character?
MG: I don’t know. I’m sure I had a say in what was happening. I even invented a whole backstory for the guy, and then spat it out on camera and it seemed to work. We’ll see.
MF: Finally, what was it like working with Mason and the younger cast members?
Ps5fPbQCy6ctCu938xFdfMG: It’s great. It’s fantastic. I love working with young actors because I think that they’ve got this raw material, this diamond in the rough kind of thing, and you just watch them do it, and there’s a sense of truth in it that you can’t pretend really. It comes from a youthful innocence and exuberance and everything. It’s like, “Hey, that makes me feel younger,” when I work with young people.
What is the plot of ‘Monster Summer’?
When a mysterious force begins to disrupt their big summer fun, Noah (Mason Thames) and his friends, team up with a retired police detective (Mel Gibson) to embark on a monstrous adventure to save their island.
Who is in the cast of ‘Monster Summer’?
- Mason Thames as Noah
- Mel Gibson as Gene
- Lorraine Bracco as Miss Halverson
- Kevin James as
- Abby James Witherspoon as Sammy
- Julian Lerner as Eugene
- Noah Cottrell as Ben
- Lilah Pete as Ellie Evans
- Kelly Collins Lintz as Deb Harlow
- Spencer Fitzgerald as Ronnie Harlow
- Patrick Renna as Umpire
List of Mel Gibson Movies:
- ‘Mad Max‘ (1980)
- ‘Mad Max 2‘ (1982)
- ‘The Year of Living Dangerously‘ (1983)
- ‘The Bounty‘ (1984)
- ‘Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome‘ (1985)
- ‘Lethal Weapon‘ (1987)
- ‘Tequila Sunrise‘ (1988)
- ‘Lethal Weapon 2‘ (1989)
- ‘Bird on a Wire‘ (1990)
- ‘Air America‘ (1990)
- ‘Hamlet‘ (1991)
- ‘Lethal Weapon 3‘ (1992)
- ‘The Man Without a Face‘ (1993)
- ‘Maverick‘ (1994)
- ‘Braveheart‘ (1995)
- ‘Pocahontas‘ (1995)
- ‘Ransom‘ (1996)
- ‘Conspiracy Theory‘ (1997)
- ‘Lethal Weapon 4‘ (1998)
- ‘Payback‘ (1999)
- ‘Chicken Run‘ (2000)
- ‘The Patriot‘ (2000)
- ‘What Women Want‘ (2000)
- ‘We Were Soldiers‘ (2002)
- ‘Signs‘ (2002)
- ‘The Passion of the Christ‘ (2004)
- ‘Apocalypto‘ (2006)
- ‘Edge of Darkness‘ (2010)
- ‘The Beaver‘ (2011)
- ‘Get the Gringo‘ (2012)
- ‘Machete Kills‘ (2013)
- ‘The Expendables 3‘ (2014)
- ‘Hacksaw Ridge‘ (2016)
- ‘Daddy’s Home 2‘ (2017)
- ‘The Professor and the Madman‘ (2019)
- ‘Last Looks‘ (2022)
- ‘Father Stu‘ (2022)
- ‘Bandit‘ (2022)
- ‘Desperation Road‘ (2023)
MEDIOCRE.
Thirty-five years after it detonated on these shores (on May 21, 1982), “The Road Warrior” remains one of the greatest action films ever made.
1. The international success of 1979’s “Mad Max” gave Miller license to retell Max’s story the way he might have if he’d had greater resources. Miller has said he made “Road Warrior” partly to “overcome all my frustrations on the first ‘Mad Max’ because that was such a low budget — and such a tough– movie that I had all this sort of pent up energy for the story and the filmmaking.”
3. The filming location was a remote Australian mining town called Broken Hill. Despite being off the beaten path, when the filmmakers staged the explosion of the refinery compound, the blast was so big that they had to alert all jetliners flying over the area and make sure all the mines were closed.
5. Norris was one of several stuntmen seriously injured during production. On one stunt, he went flying off his motorcycle, clipped his leg on a dune buggy, and broke his femur. (The shot stayed in the film, and Norris returned to the set a couple days later for a fight scene against Gibson, with his broken leg kept out of the frame.) Stuntman Max Aspin was successfully hurled from a vehicle during a staged crash, but he insisted on a second take and broke a vertebra.
7. Max’s dog (above), simply named “Dog,” was adopted from a pound a day before he was set to be put to sleep. Unfortunately, he was terrified by all the roaring engines on the set, and the filmmakers had to plug his ears with cotton so that he wouldn’t ruin takes by barking — or lose control of his bladder in Max’s car.
9. One more dog item: What was in that dog food can Gibson was eating from? Miller says he doesn’t think it was actually dog food, but he’s not sure.
11. The massive actor who played Lord Humungus (above) was Kjell Nilsson, a former Mr. Sweden and a weightlifter who had trained Swedish Olympic athletes.
13. Those two guys strapped to the front of the car (above) who are seen smashing into the back of the tanker? Semler has said those were dummies with watermelons for heads — “watermelons with wigs,” he specified.
15. The rolling of the tanker was the film’s most dangerous stunt. Driver Dennis Williams, who had never done it before, had to pull it off in one take, and on an empty stomach. Former emergency room doctor Miller had Williams fast for 12 hours beforehand because, if things went wrong and he were to need surgery, there would be fewer complications if he had no food in his system. A helicopter and ambulance were present, but many of the cast and crew were not; they were too squeamish to watch. Fortunately, Williams executed the stunt perfectly and safely.
17. “Road Warrior” cost about $2 million to make, or about 10 times the cost of “Mad Max.” It was a hit around the world, including $24 million earned in the U.S.
The Producers Guild of America announced on Tuesday its slate of 
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has handed out 
The National Board of Review is known for its eclectic decisions comes awards season, handing unconventional choices its top honors year after year. But