ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How concerned were you that the 30 Days movie might suck?
STEVE NILES: Well, it took seven years, so there were incredible peaks and valleys. There were days when it seemed like it was going to be done perfectly, and then there were days when I thought it was going to turn into Vampire Bikini Party. But luckily we had [30 Days producers] Sam Raimi and Bob Tapert watching over it, and once David Slade signed on to direct, I felt great. He was a fan of the comic and he's a great filmmaker — he did Hard Candy. And I was kept in the loop the entire time. So, by the time the movie came out, I was pretty secure it was going to be very close.
There does seem to be a growing realization in Hollywood that, when it comes to comic-book adaptations, it might be a good idea not to mess with the original material too much.
Well, I think that's a good thing to realize. And I don't know why it's taken so long. But it's guys like Raimi who, when he made Spider-Man, was like, ''Maybe we should make it like the comic.'' Because people have liked it for 40 years, so let's do it accurately and — ta da! — it works. Look at Iron Man. Iron Man was ripped right from the pages and it works. Same thing with the new Hulk. Seems like they made a big comic-book movie and that's what people wanted. When they first tried it, they tried to get in all these deeper messages that they thought would make the mainstream happy. But, as it turns out, there's a reason people like the Hulk, and it's not because of this great psychological angle of his pained childhood. It's because he's a raging big green guy.
There is some confusion in the blogosphere over whether or not Rob Zombie's directorial effort, Tyrannosaurus Rex, is an adaptation of Nail. And you recently posted a message on your MySpace page denying that the two of you had fallen out over the issue. What's the deal?
About five or six years ago, Rob came to me with his idea called The Nail. And I said, ''This is great. We'll team up, we'll write it.'' And I did it as a work for hire. My job was to guide it and make the best possible story. And now, all these years later, he's coming out with this movie called Tyrannosaurus Rex, and people are saying there are similarities. But there are similarities among all of Rob's movies. It stars a crazy bearded guy? Well, that's every one of his movies! What I'm saying is, he has every right to use anything he wants from The Nail. And he has my complete blessing.
But do you know whether Tyrannosaurus Rex is an adaptation of The Nail?
Actually, I saw the [poster] artwork, and I was, like, ''That looks like Eastwood's The Gauntlet.'' And Rob wrote me back going, ''You got it.'' He applauded my extreme nerdiness. It's a big non-issue. Me and Rob talk all the time. He keeps me up to date. He's basically writing it right now. I guess if the lead character is a wrestler that'll be the big thing.
What's the word with the movie version of Wake the Dead?
Actually, yesterday, the director Jay Russell and I went to Cedars-Sinai [hospital] to see some current surgery techniques.
Sounds like a fun day out.
I was expecting bodies being opened. I said to Jay, ''I don't know how long I'm going to last, because I can be real wimp about real stuff.'' But everything now is done through tiny little incisions. It's like a video game. They're putting tubes inside and looking up on video screens. So we're well into the Wake the Dead movie. Weta [director Peter Jackson's digital-effects company] is working on design — and Jay Russell and I are in the hospital watching surgery.
