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Your upcoming movie Survive the End - in a few words, what's
it going to be about?
Survive the End is
about a former detective trying to protect his family after the world
collapses. No law, no rules just survival. It’s raw and grounded, focused on real people forced into
impossible choices, and it shows what people are willing to do when
everything’s gone and the only thing that matters is keeping the ones you
love alive. Survive the End is
based on a book of yours by the same name - now was that book written with
an adaptation in mind from the get-go, and how closely will you stick to
your source material? Yeah, it’s based on my book, but the
interesting thing is the book actually grew out of the original
screenplay, so the story was always cinematic from the start. It was
really conceived as a movie first. The book ended up becoming my
bestseller out of everything I’ve written, which is a big reason it
naturally got considered for a film adaptation. The audience response kind
of confirmed it needed to be a movie.
When I went back to adapt it, I didn’t just copy the book page for page. I
rewrote a lot, added new material, expanded characters, and changed things
around to make it work better on screen. Films and books are two different
mediums, so I wanted it to feel fresh and more intense visually. If you’ve
read the book, you’ll recognize the core story and characters, but the
movie is its own experience. It’s adapted, not the same
and honestly, who wants the exact same thing twice? You want
something new. With Survive the End
being a post-apocalyptic tale, is that a genre at all dear to you, and
some of your genre favourites? Yep, this genre has always
been really close to me personally. I’ve just always loved end of the
world storytelling. There’s something raw and honest about stripping
everything down to pure survival - no rules, no systems, just people and
the choices they make when society’s gone. That kind of pressure really
exposes character, and as a filmmaker that’s such a powerful playground to work in.
Mad Max has always been my biggest influence and probably my all time
favorite. The grit, the practical action, the world's destruction, the way
it feels both chaotic and grounded, that energy really stuck with me. It
showed me you can tell intimate human stories inside these huge, brutal
worlds. A lot of my own projects reflect that love too. I’ve made films like Tales
Till the End,
Doomsday Stories and of course
Hell on Earth: Arena of
Death. I keep finding myself coming back to these kinds of stories because
they’re just fun and creatively freeing to make. Any chance I get to
explore an end of the world scenario, I’m jumping at it. It’s a genre that
lets you mix action, horror, drama, and heart all at once, and for me
that’s filmmaking at its best.
(Other) sources of
inspiration when writing Survive the EndSurvive the End, both the
novel and screenplay? A lot of my inspiration for
Survive the End goes back to the movies I grew up watching over
and over again. Mad Max,
The Road Warrior,
Planet of the Apes, Escape from New York,
The Road, The Omega Man - those films
really shaped how I see this genre. They weren’t just action movies to me,
they were these gritty, lived-in worlds where survival came first and
morality got complicated. The stakes always felt real and the characters
weren’t superheroes, they were just people trying to make it one more day.
Mad Max and
The Road Warrior especially had a huge impact, that raw, practical,
boots-on-the-ground chaos. Escape from New York had that stripped down,
hostile world where you can’t trust anyone. Planet of the Apes and
The Omega Man brought in that loneliness and “last man standing” feeling. And
The Road showed how emotional and intimate an apocalypse story can be it’s
not just about action, it’s about what you’re fighting to protect.
When I was writing Survive the End, both the novel and the screenplay, I
kept pulling from those feelings, the grit, the isolation, the desperation,
but also the small moments of humanity. I didn’t want it to feel glossy or
over the top. I wanted it grounded, like it could really happen. That’s
always the goal for me: make the world feel harsh and dangerous, but keep
the characters human and relatable.
As a producer, where do you
see the main challenges of bringing Survive the End to the
screen? Honestly, the biggest challenge with bringing
Survive the End to the screen is scale. With
post-apocalyptic films, everything has to feel big - the world, the
danger, the stakes ... but we’re doing it on an indie budget. So the real
test as a producer is figuring out how to go all out creatively while
still being smart financially.
From the start, I really wanted to push it and see how far we could take
the genre without spending studio money. We have a limited budget, but the
goal is for the movie to look ten times what we actually spent. That comes
down to being resourceful securing unique, cinematic locations, focusing
on practical effects, and making every Dollar show up on screen.
We’ve locked in some really great spots that instantly elevate the
production value. For example, we’re shooting a big, epic sequence at a
drive-in theater that just screams post-apocalyptic atmosphere. Stuff like
that gives you scale without needing CGI or massive builds.
And then there’s casting. Having genre favorite Vernon Wells - Wez from
The Road Warrior
- playing the president adds instant credibility and excitement
for fans. It connects our film directly to the roots of the genre that
inspired it in the first place.
So
yeah, the challenge is always budget versus ambition. But honestly, that’s
also the fun part. It forces you to get creative, to think like a
filmmaker instead of just throwing money at problems. At the end of the
day, it’s going to be a really fun, gritty, high-energy movie that looks
way bigger than it should and that’s exactly the kind of challenge I love
taking on.
Do talk about Survive the End's
director and your longtime collaborator James Panetta, and what's your
collaboration like on this project? James is honestly a
powerhouse. We’ve worked together for a long time now, and every project
we do just proves why I trust him so much as a director. On
Jacker 3: Road to Hell, he stepped into a really tough situation, a difficult shoot, tight time, tight resources, a lot of moving
parts, and he completely embraced the challenge. No complaints, no excuses.
He just put his head down and delivered. And he didn’t just get it done -
he made it look great. The movie came out stronger than it had any right
to be because of how hard he pushed.
What I love about James is his energy. He genuinely loves action
filmmaking. He’s like a kid in the best possible way, always excited about
the weapons, the stunts, the practical effects, and finding fun, creative
ways to create chaos and carnage on screen. That enthusiasm is contagious.
It lifts the whole crew and keeps the set fun even when things get
stressful. And the crazy part is, he’s basically a one-man operation. He does
everything, directing, problem solving, adjusting on the fly, figuring out
how to make something big happen with very little. He’s incredibly
resourceful and just flat out brilliant at making things work.
With Survive the End, our collaboration is really natural at this point.
We speak the same language. I’ll bring the story and the vision, and he
knows exactly how to translate that into something cinematic and high
energy. There’s a lot of trust, we don’t have to over-explain things to
each other. We just build together. Honestly, I can’t imagine doing this film without him. A movie like
Survive the End needs someone who thrives under pressure and loves action
the way he does. He’s the perfect guy for it.
What can you
tell us about your previious collaborations with James Panetta, and how
did you two first meet even? James and I actually met
through actress Debbie D [Debbie
D interview - click here]. She kept telling me over and
over “You’ve got to work with James, he’s brilliant.” She really wouldn’t
let it go. Every time we talked, she brought his name up. So eventually, I
thought alright, I need to meet this guy. We
finally connected when we did the short for
Unearthed, and right away I
got what she was talking about. Some collaborations take time to find a
rhythm, but with James it clicked almost immediately. We just spoke the
same creative language. We both love gritty, practical filmmaking, we both
like to move fast, and we both want to squeeze every ounce of production
value out of what we have.
After that first project, it just naturally snowballed. We went from
Unearthed to
Jacker 3: Road to Hell, then
The Actor’s Curse: A
Tale of Twisted Fate, Amityville: Descendants of
Darkness and now Survive the End. Every film got bigger and more
ambitious, and we kept challenging ourselves more each time. What’s great is there’s a real trust between us now. I know he’s going to
bring everything he has to the table, and he knows I’m going to back the
vision and figure out how to make it happen. There’s no ego, it’s just two
guys who love making movies and solving problems together. At
this point, it doesn’t even feel like just a professional collaboration.
It feels like a true creative partnership. We’ve kind of grown as
filmmakers side by side, and Survive the End really feels like the next
evolution of that. Back to Survive
the End: You'll also appear in front of the camera in the movie - so
what can you tell us about your character, what will you draw upon to
bring him to life, and have you wriitten him with yourself in mind from
the get-go? Originally I was actually planning to play the
lead. That was the first idea, stepping into the role of the family man
trying to protect everyone and carry the emotional weight of the story.
But the more we developed it and the more I looked at the character, the
more I realized Ralph Rey was just a better fit for that role. He brings
this natural grounded, relatable, everyman quality that the character
really needs. You believe him as a husband and a father fighting for his
family. Once I saw that, it felt like the right move for the movie, not my
ego. So instead, I shifted gears and took on the role of Steve - which is way more unhinged and honestly way more fun to play. Steve is one of the three madmen roaming through this broken world,
killing anyone in their path and actually enjoying the apocalypse. While
everyone else is trying to survive, these guys are thriving in the chaos.
He’s not fighting for anything noble he’s hunting, destroying, and loving
every second of it. And he becomes completely obsessed with tracking down
and wiping out this family.
What I like about playing him is that he’s the flipside of the story.
Ralph’s character represents hope and protection, Steve represents what
happens when someone fully gives in to the darkness. He’s reckless,
unpredictable and dangerous because he has nothing left to lose, and that
makes him scary. To
bring him to life, I’m leaning into that manic energy. Less controlled,
more raw. Almost feral, physically and mentally just loose and chaotic.
It’s very different from anything heroic it’s about embracing the madness
of the world and having fun with how twisted he is. And no, he wasn’t written for me from the start. That happened naturally
once I stepped away from the lead role. But honestly, it ended up being
the better choice. As a producer, I’m already juggling a lot behind the
scenes, so playing a villain lets me show up, go wild, have fun, and
really chew the scenery a bit. It’s definitely going to be one of those characters audiences love to hate and those are always a blast to play.
Do talk about the rest of Survive
the End's cast, and as a writer/producer, how much of a say did you
have or demand when it came to casting? Casting for
Survive the End has been really collaborative. James and I both
bring a lot to the table, we know so many talented actors from years of
working in this world so it’s always an equal partnership. Honestly, we’re
really lucky to have such strong support from the indie community; we’ve
rarely had any issues finding the right people for the right roles. As
a writer and producer, I definitely have a voice in casting, but it’s
never about demanding anything. It’s about finding the perfect fit for the
story and trusting James’ instincts as a director. Sometimes that means
going with someone I wouldn’t have initially thought of, and sometimes it
means advocating for a specific actor who brings exactly what the
character needs. It’s really a balance, and that trust and collaboration
has always made the process smooth and exciting. At
the end of the day we all want the same thing: A cast that elevates the
world we’re building, and I feel confident we’ve nailed that with Survive
the End. So what's
the schedule for Survive the End, and any idea when and where it
might be released yet? The shooting schedule for
Survive the End is pretty intense, we’re running 12-hour days
every Saturday from March 7 through mid-May. Most of it is outdoors, with
a large cast and an average of six scenes per day, so it’s definitely a
grind. A lot of the scenes require careful choreography because of the
action and the kills, so it’s not just about filming, it’s about
precision, timing and safety. That said, James and I know our jobs inside and out, and we’ve developed a
rhythm over the years. On set, we operate like a well oiled machine. Every
scene is planned and executed almost like an assembly line of chaos and
carnage, which lets us tackle a lot in a single day without losing quality
or energy. It’s grueling, but it’s also incredibly fun and rewarding to
see everything come together. ;As
for release, we don’t have a confirmed date yet, but we’re aiming for a
post-production timeline that allows us to target late 2026 for either
festivals digital, or physical release. And with the unique locations,
epic action, and strong cast we’ve assembled, it’s going to make a big
impact once it’s out in the world.
Any future projects beyond
Survive the End you'd like to share? Next up,
we’ve got Usher and Crowbar on the
horizon. With Usher, there’s a lot of exciting energy
because it’s not just another project, we’re looking at it on a bigger
scale. There’s talk about financing, taking a fresh approach and pushing
the way we make movies to a new level. It feels like a new chapter, and
we’re really excited about exploring it creatively and seeing where it
takes us. Beyond Survive the End, we’re probably going to limit ourselves to one big
movie a year. We’ve learned over the years how much work goes into making
something that truly stands out, and focusing on one major project at a
time will let us push each film as far as possible.
We’re also wrapping up our last anthology with Amityville: Descendants of
Darkness. After this, we’re taking a break from anthologies for a while to
concentrate on full-length features - the stories that give us more room to
explore characters, action and world-building. Crowbar and the other
upcoming projects will continue in that vein, with high energy, practical
effects and the kind of genre storytelling we love. It’s an exciting time because each new project builds on the last, but
this approach lets us focus, innovate and create movies that really hit
hard for the audience, and have fun doing it.
Your/your movie's website, social media, whatever else?
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17bkbxNRxp/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Anything else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten
to ask?
I want to give a huge, heartfelt thank you to everyone who has
supported Survive the End, our incredible cast, crew and
the fans who keep us motivated. Special thanks of course to James Panetta,
whose vision and energy make every project possible; my senior producer
Ralph Rey, who brings the heart and soul to his roles behind and in front
of the camera, Marcelo Fabani [Marcelo
Fabani interview - click here], Deanna Marie, Debbie D
[Debbie D interview -
click here], Will Devokees, Derek Braasch [Derek
Braasch interview - click here], Kevin Duffy, Michael
Moutsatsos [Michael
Moutsatsos interivew - click here], Thomas Antalek and
Rich Gordon, whose talent and dedication elevate everything we do. And to the countless supporters behind the scenes friends, family and
fans, thank you for helping me keep making the movies, I love and for being
there every step of the way. Your support is what allows us to push
boundaries, take risks, and bring these stories to life.
If
there’s one thing I’d add, it’s that filmmaking is truly a team effort.
Every person, on screen or off, plays a role in making the chaos, the
action, and the story feel real. I’m endlessly grateful to everyone who’s
been part of this journey and I can’t wait to share the finished film
with you all.
Thanks for the interview!
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