The Big Picture

Collider’s Perri Nemiroff talks with Elijah Wood and director Ant Timpson about
Bookworm
at Fantastic Fest 2024.

Bookworm
is a whimsical adventure about a girl, played by Nell Fisher, and her estranged father who set out to track down a legendary creature in southern New Zealand.
During this interview, Wood and Timpson discuss teaming up again after
Come to Daddy
, working with Fisher, their favorite franchises, Oz Perkins’
The Monkey
, and tons more!

Together, director Ant Timpson and Elijah Wood captivated audiences of Fantastic Fest 2019 with the Deathgasm producer’s directorial debut Come to Daddy. Now, the duo have reunited for something a little lighter, though Timpson assures Collider’s Perri Nemiroff that Bookworm, starring Nell Fisher (Evil Dead Rise), is “definitely not your typical G-rated, family-friendly fare.”

In the film, Timpson and screenwriter Toby Harvard (The Greasy Strangler) take audiences on a whimsical adventure with 11-year-old Mildred (Fisher) and her estranged father, the washed-up magician Strawn Wise (Wood). When Mildred’s mother has an accident that leaves her in a coma, Mildred convinces Strawn to go on a camping trip in search of the mythical Canterbury Panther in southern New Zealand, where they find themselves not only fighting with each other but for survival.

At this year’s Fantastic Fest, Nemiroff sat down to discuss Timpson and Wood’s continued collaboration. They talked about what they learned from the production of Come to Daddy, the wisdom Wood’s young co-star imparted to the veteran actor, their favorite franchises, and Oz Perkins’ next horror movie, an adaptation of the Stephen King short story, The Monkey. You can watch the full conversation in the video above or read the interview transcript below.

Elijah Wood and Ant Timpson Reunite for ‘Bookworm’

One of my favorite things in this industry is when people find another artist, and they know to their core, “That person is going to be an ideal collaborator for me.” Can you tell me a little bit about first meeting and also what you each saw in the other that signaled to you, “This is someone I have to stick with in this business?”

ELIJAH WOOD: I don’t even know if it was a specific moment. We met at Tim League’s house and then started hanging out. We all have mutual friends. I think we initially collaborated as producers on Jim Hosking’s feature directorial debut, The Greasy Strangler. So, that was the first time we worked together and collaborated, and then you had the script for [Come to] Daddy.

ANT TIMPSON: I had already worked with Mette-Marie [Kongsved], Elijah’s partner, and knew her previously when she was at another company. We were trying to work on things together, as well, and it all kind of just blended into becoming Come to Daddy, really. But yeah, there was nothing electric when we first met. [Laughs] It wasn’t like, “I’ve got to work with this guy!” It wasn’t that, it was just hanging out, having really similar tastes and sensibilities about cinema, and sometimes the world, I guess. But also, eventually, you spend enough time with people and you get comfortable, and you think, “Hey, it’ll be fun to do something together, whatever ignites our creative passions.” If it all works out… It seems weird saying “passions” between two blokes but two friends.

WOOD: Friends first, and then I think it’s really lovely to work with your friends, especially if you have shared sensibilities.

Image via Saban Films

I’m a big believer in filmmaking families. I always say, you pour so much of your time and your lives into making these movies. If you’re not surrounded by those kinds of people, I can’t imagine it would be a creatively fulfilling experience, or as fulfilling as it could be life-wise

WOOD: We had such a great experience working on Daddy, and that entire creative collaboration with the whole team was so fruitful that the prospect of just getting that creative band back together again on another film was an instant yes. Like, “Let’s just go do that, please. And let’s make it in New Zealand.” When you find a group of people who you like working with, and everybody sort of shares the same sensibilities and sees eye-to-eye, you wanna just kind of keep that rolling.

Always.

‘Bookworm’ Was a Retaliation to a COVID Film Casualty
Image via Fantasia

Because you’ve both brought up Come to Daddy , I’ll go there next. There was a pretty good gap of time between the two movies and I always like talking about the green light process, so why the wait? Was it because you were doing other things in this space, or was there any reason this might have been a little more challenging to get off the ground?

TIMPSON: This was actually a pretty fast turnaround from where to go, but what happened was I was on another project that was supposed to kick off, and then it was a pandemic casualty. So, I didn’t want it to be as long as it has been. It’s been a little bit longer than I’d like. So, I had another one that fell over, and then I sort of pivoted and supported other friends’ projects, as well. And then Bookworm was a retaliation to the other one not getting up. It was like, “Let’s get back into this wilderness idea that we were talking about with Toby Harvard,” the writer. And so, it just came together really fast. We had such a fun working relationship on that, getting the script together.

Then Elijah was the first port of call because we wrote it for Elijah because it’s the type of character that with the wrong actor, it’ll go horribly off the rails. We knew that we needed someone where the audience, no matter how far we could push the character in terms of the ridiculous nature of a washed-up illusionist in the South of New Zealand, we knew that the person who was going to play him had to have a really inherent likability and be able to bring a lot of warmth and humanity to the character, even though he’s slightly absurd in many ways. But at the heart, he’s a broken man and a broken dad.

Great success with that warmth. I’m gonna get to your chemistry with Nell in a moment, but first I wanted to follow up on what Ant just said — this role was written specifically for you. How does that change your mentality when you jump into a character? Does that create more or less pressure?

WOOD: Maybe more, but certainly not less. Not less. I don’t take any of those things for granted. If someone is handing me the baton with the fact that I was considered from the beginning, I take that so seriously and want to deliver. This character, not unlike Norval from Come to Daddy, is quite particular, is coming from a real specific world, and sort of wanting to bring that to life in a realistic way, and also slightly absurd way. He’s a magician, he’s an illusionist. There are no specific tricks that we actually have to pull off in the script or that I had to do in camera necessarily, but I wanted it to be believable that I knew what to do with cards and card dexterity and fanning and shuffling, so I did work with a magician prior to shooting for about a month, this guy Mike Pisciotta, who’s an amazing, incredible close-up magician in Los Angeles, who did all of those things for me so handling cards looked like a thing that I knew how to do.

Image via Fantasia

Ant, I wanted to come back your way to talk about the evolution of your directing skills from Come to Daddy to this. What is something you were able to accomplish on Bookworm as a director that you know came from the skills you gained making Come to Daddy , and then can you tell me a new challenge you experienced on this film that left you with another tool that you’ll take to your next film as a director?

TIMPSON: I think the biggest takeaway from the first one — and the weird thing is, I forgot everything that I learned on the first one, so that’s the caveat to start all this with — is to not panic and that everything’s going to work out. For everything that feels like a roadblock or an obstacle, it’s going to actually potentially, usually , work out in your favor. And so, to have that sort of approach mentally, honestly, it can really alleviate the stress of the unknown a lot of time. And having more time to prep, obviously, it takes off a lot of that internal anxiety that comes with any production.

WOOD: The whole production was so good.

TIMPSON: We had the luxury of more time. It was in our backyard. The last time I got just dropped like a paratrooper onto an island.

WOOD: [Laughs] Yeah, we shot on Vancouver Island.

TIMPSON: In the North Pacific, just dropped on an island and didn’t know hardly anyone. So, it was a bit different, whereas this one felt like a gathering of real loyal troops that had all worked together before. So, that was kind of the key component.

On this one, the takeaway is, honestly, there are a few effects in this film that were a completely new area of domain to play with. Now I know what to do, let’s just say that. I definitely would do things differently when approaching it again. But also, we did a little bit of Renny Harlan action on this one, which was kind of awesome fun, and I would love to play in that area a little bit more of stunt stuff. It was weird. We made a kind of brutal family movie in some parts. It’s definitely not your typical G-rated, family-friendly fare. There are some dark overtones in this one, and we don’t pander to kids. We totally treat them on the same lines as any adult watching it.

It’s truly a top-tier gateway genre movie for young moviegoers who might not be able to jump in full force just yet, but want to tiptoe into that zone. I always appreciate that.

WOOD: I do, too, and we certainly grew up watching movies like that. They’re made a little bit less and less these days, so to have something that does work for adults as much as it does for kids and can be a fun little gateway of, like, “There are things beyond this if you’re interested,” is really fun.

Related ‘Come to Daddy’ Review: Elijah Wood Battles Daddy Issues in Raucous, Demented Genre-Bender | Fantasia 2019 Elijah Wood and Stephen McHattie go toe-to-toe in Ant-Timpson’s unpredictable thrill ride.

Here’s a fun question inspired by something in the film — when you two were kids, what posters did you have hanging up on your walls?

WOOD: I wasn’t a poster person.

TIMPSON: When I was a teenager it was definitely movie posters. When I was in my first year at college, it was all Creepshow and Cujo and stuff like that, but when I was super young, it might have been Leif Garrett, a skateboarder, that kind of thing. [Laughs] It was sort of that kind of vibe.

WOOD: It would have been music for me.

TIMPSON: No, I wasn’t a music kid. I was definitely film from early on. You know what I did have? I had Terence Hill. I had a man crush on Trinity, that dude. Those spaghetti Westerns. Love those. Definitely had one of those.

WOOD: I didn’t have any movie posters up. I didn’t adorn my room with posters. It’s really funny. I don’t know why.

Do you have any posters now?

WOOD: Loads. I’ve got tons of old Mondo posters.

As soon as I asked that I thought, you’re definitely a Mondo collector now.

WOOD: And my wife got me an incredible Empire Strikes Back, the Polish poster. It’s either Empire or Star Wars, where it’s a two-tone; it’s black and gold, and it’s C-3PO. The poster is just C-3PO.

Is it weird to tell you I had a big old The Faculty poster hanging on my wall growing up?

WOOD: That’s cool!

It is the coolest .

WOOD: I love that movie. That movie was the film that introduced me to Austin, Texas, and that was when there was still only one Alamo, and it was the original location on Colorado Street. I remember going to the Alamo and seeing the notion of food and drink. I was too young to drink alcohol, but that idea at a movie theater was a totally novel thing. And seeing rep titles. I still am a huge fan of Halloween, and they did a screening of Halloween, and that was the first time I was at the Alamo.

Elijah Wood Thinks ‘Jason X’ Is Legendary

I have one more somewhat obnoxious question that’s based on something that’s brought up in the movie. I want to know what you each think is the greatest franchise of all time. But I have to remove one specific franchise from the conversation; you can’t say Lord of the Rings .

WOOD: I’m not gonna say Lord of the Rings. I’ll divest myself because that doesn’t feel fair. Go ahead.

TIMPSON: It’s obviously the Leprechaun series. That’s where I’m going.

WOOD: I remember seeing the original Leprechaun. There’s an actor in it who I worked with on a movie called Forever Young, and when we were working on Forever Young, he went to a cast and crew screening of the original Leprechaun and I went to see it. Robert Gorman.

TIMPSON: Yeah, he’s great. Every franchise, they’ve got to end in space, right? So, which is yours?

WOOD: I see where we are; we’re in horror.

Fast & Furious could apply. They do go to space eventually.

WOOD: For movies that go to space, Friday the 13th. I mean, Jason X is legendary.

I’ve rewatched that movie more times than I’m willing to admit right now.

WOOD: I can’t say it’s genuinely my favorite, but I do like it. I’m a big Nightmare on Elm Street fan.

We need another one of those.

WOOD: I agree. I mean, when was the last time you saw Dream Warriors?

Fairly recently.

WOOD: That film holds up remarkably well. It’s so goddamn good.

I watch Dream Warriors and also New Nightmare over and over.

WOOD: New Nightmare’s also a masterpiece.

TIMPSON: Russell Chuck just relaunched an old franchise. He did Witchboard, which premiered at Fantasia.

WOOD: I did not know that there was a remake.

‘Evil Dead Rise’ Breakout Star Nell Fisher Inspired Elijah Wood
Image via Fantasia

Before we wind down, I want to make sure to highlight Nell.

WOOD: She’s so incredible in the film. I mean, she’s the lead of the movie!

Elijah, you obviously had great success as a young star in this industry, but one of the things that I love is that with every new generation, we have new approaches, new skill sets, and the craft of acting just keeps evolving. Is there anything you saw her do on this set that made you go, “My god, I wish I thought to do that when I was her age?”

WOOD: She came so prepared. She came with the script memorized, which is something I don’t do, to where I was like, “I should maybe do that.” I have had that thought before, but I’m like, “Man, that’s a lot of work.” [Laughs] But she did it. She came with an immense amount of preparation, and I found that extremely admirable. That preparation allows you to sort of relax when you work, and it’s such an important part of the process. She’s amazing. Also, as professional as she was, she came with all of that skill, but she also was a joy and found enjoyment in the process and enjoyment in the relationship between these two characters. It was awesome.

I’m gonna end on an unrelated question because I’m obsessed with Stephen King and, Elijah, you’re in The Monkey . I’m also a little obsessed with Oz Perkins, like many people are right now.

WOOD: As they should be. I’m just thrilled that people are finally … Listen, Oz has been quietly ticking away and making extraordinary genre films for years, and I’ve long wondered when he was gonna have his moment. It’s just thrilling that he finally is, and he deserves it. He’s an extraordinary atmosphere master, an incredible filmmaker, and a great writer. This is an exciting time.

What is something you saw him do on the set of The Monkey that might speak to why he is such a one-of-a-kind voice behind the lens?

WOOD: Working with him, because I’ve known him personally a little bit prior to him asking me to come and join that — and by the way, I’m in the tiniest little moment in that movie — first of all, he’s extremely generous and kind. He’s a really sweet person and he’s a great collaborator. He lets everyone kind of do their job. He’s very confident on set, but he also is very relaxed. The environment was so warm and kind, and his crew is super lovely, so I think I was really impressed by that. He hires right and he trusts his collaborators.

I don’t know that there was a moment of, like, “Oh, he’s got this particular ability.” He wrote a great script and cast really good actors that I got to work with. I’m not referring to myself, but you know, a great group of people.

It would be justified if you did!

WOOD: No, no, no, I would never. But yeah, I’m stoked for that because The Monkey is unlike anything he’s made. It’s a really gory comedy, and he’s not known for that. He wrote something really fun.

I’m a big fan of the rise of Stephen King’s short story adaptations right now, or rather the re-rise. There’s been short adaptations in the past, of course, but in the last calendar year we’ve seen The Boogeyman , The Life of Chuck , and now this, and it’s so exciting because you get to honor great source material, but there’s also so much space to bring your own voice to it.

WOOD: Exactly.

I love it. I’m so excited for that and I’m so excited for everyone to experience Bookworm . Congratulations on the movie and thank you for sharing some of your experience with us.

TIMPSON: Thank you very much.

WOOD: Your questions were incredible.

Bookworm will be in select theaters on October 18.

11-year-old Mildred’s world is turned upside down when her estranged father, the washed-up magician Strawn Wise, comes to look after her and agrees to take her camping to find a mythological beast known as the Canterbury Panther.Director Ant Timpson Cast Elijah Wood , Nell Fisher , Morgana O’Reilly , Nikki Si’ulepa , Vanessa Stacey , Theo Shakes , Michael Smiley Runtime 103 Minutes Writers Ant Timpson , Toby Harvard