Interviews
On Tuesday, June 1st, barnesandnoble.com welcomed Terry Brooks to discuss STAR WARS, EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE.
Moderator: Thank you for joining us tonight, Terry Brooks. We're so glad to have you with us in the Auditorium to chat about STAR WARS, EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE. How are you this evening?
Terry Brooks: Great. I'm happy to be here.
Mindy from Detroit: I have always loved your books, Mr. Brooks. You are a natural fit for writing the
Star Wars novel. When did Lucasfilm approach you? What made you decide to get involved?
Terry Brooks: I was approached in early December of 1997 through my publisher, who bought the rights to do the books to all three movies and asked if I would be willing to consider doing the first book, and if I was, would I be willing to fly down to Skywalker Ranch and meet with the Lucasfilm people and meet with George. And I agreed. So, I did, and I spent two days in early December at the ranch reading the movie script, viewing some visual presentations that were being shown to potential licensees, asking questions about the script from the subrights people, touring the grounds, and then meeting with George. This meeting lasted about four hours, and at the end of that time, I guess I had taken the job!
Mike from Massachusetts: Why was it that the novel for
The Phantom Menace was released before the actual movie? Also, do you plan to write any other
Star Wars novels?
Terry Brooks: The decision to release the book early came after considerable discussion between the publishing house and Lucasfilm. It was felt that releasing the book early would help book sales and wouldn't really hurt the picture. As for writing any other books, there's been no discussion up to this point as to what's to happen with books two and three.
Harvey from Oak Park, IL: In looking at the screenplay, was there anything in the original that didn't make it into the movie? How was it changed to come to film?
Terry Brooks: There were a few scenes that were in the shooting script that were cut during editing that ended up in the book, but most of them were very small. Much of what's in the book is original material, particularly the material about Anakin and his background.
Alicia Angell from Las Vegas: I have read all of the Shannara books and have loved every one of them. Will there be another Shannara novel, and do you have plans to make a movie of the Shannara saga?
Terry Brooks: I am at work at present on the first of five new books in the Shannara series. Publication of those books will begin in September of 2000. These books take place in the future following the close of THE TALISMANS OF SHANNARA. As for movies, there's always interest, but nothing concrete at the present.
Marco Aurelio from Fortaleza, Brazil: Hello, Mr. Terry! You know,
Star Wars became legendary in people's mind and life... became legendary to mankind for many generations. Do you think it will ever die? Do you think that
Star Wars will vanish some years in the future? Thanks!
Terry Brooks: I think Star Wars will be around for a long time, but I don't know how long it will last. It's impossible to be able to foresee anything like that. It's part of a myth-making tradition, and the classics of that form of writing have endured since the time of the Norse and Greek mythologies and the Homeric epics.
Bob from Louisville, KY: I'm curious about the timing of when you wrote the novelization -- was it before or during the filming? Did you already know what actors were chosen? How did this influence your descriptions of them?
Terry Brooks: The book was written after the completion of filming, but before editing. So I knew who the actors were and could see stills of how they looked in the movie, but I didn't get to see the movie until much, much later. So I had some help, from knowing the story line and how people looked, but not how the action would develop in the picture.
Bobby Lee from Louisiana: It seems like this movie tops all others in terms of how much
stuff there is to buy! Were you at all worried about having your book become just another piece of merchandise?
Terry Brooks: I wasn't worried about this, because from the very beginning, George indicated that the book would be a companion piece to the movie. It would be an expansion of the story line, and it would be a new and different experience for the moviegoer seeking to learn new and additional information about the Star Wars world and its characters. Because it contained original material -- and was meant to be a new experience for the moviegoer -- it was never treated just as an additional piece of merchandising.
Ned from Patchogue, NY: A lot of people like to read the book before they see the movie, but since your book is a novelization, do you think we should see the movie first? Which do you recommend?
Terry Brooks: I think it's an individual choice. Some people would want to see the movie first so as not to spoil the experience in any way. Some people would want to read the book first, so as to increase their understanding of what's going on in the movie. I think that most people will see the movie, then read the book, then go see the movie again with fresh eyes.
Sebastien Courchesne from Quebec, Canada: Hi. What do you think about the reviews complaining about the lack of character development in the movie? Is it something that you have added to the book?
Terry Brooks: I don't think I'm the best judge of how well I've succeeded in achieving appropriate character development in my own book. I do think that the critics of the movie are missing the point. This is not a movie centered around character study. It's an action/adventure story, and character development is secondary to the pacing of the story, and I think that most character development in Star Wars is the moviegoers intuiting what the storyteller intended.
Jack Sampson from Arlington, VA: Have you ever written a novelization before? What was the experience like? I've heard from other well-known science fiction writers that writing novelizations is good money but a major pain in the buttocks. Was the process smooth for you?
Terry Brooks: I wrote a novelization in the early '90s for the movie "Hook." It was a painful learning experience, and it did not pay well at all. The idea of good payment for novelizations of movies is a relative one. My experience with doing the adaptation of Phantom Menace was very good. The people at Lucasfilm have a much more relaxed attitude toward the adaptation of their material to other forms, and I was given a tremendous amount of freedom to take the original movie script and rework it so it would have the same amount of magic in book form that it has on the movie screen.
Yvonne Gregory from Springfield, OH: Just curious: What was your favorite part of the movie? What part did you enjoy writing about the most?
Terry Brooks: I find it very difficult to single out particular parts of movies or books or particular characters for special attention, especially in a project on which I've spent a lot of time and energy. I tell everyone that the character I felt most at home writing about was Qui-Gon Jinn. Qui-Gonn is prototypical of the characters I write about in my own books all the time, and therefore the kind of character for which I have a particular affection.
John Marcon from Edmond, OK: Hi, Terry. I love your novels. The novelization was excellent -- the best one yet. Give me your opinion: How you would compare this screenplay with the previous three? In my opinion it was strange -- some parts were very much for children; others were more complex and challenging. The pieces came together for me only after I read your novelization.
Terry Brooks: I believe that George has said publicly on at least one occasion that this is a movie for children, and I wouldn't attempt to compare it to the earlier movies, any more than I would attempt to compare my own books written in the '70s with what I'm writing now. Star Wars movies are of a different time and place. I think that moviegoers have to accept them for what they have to offer; part of what George believes in his moviemaking is that he shouldn't have to explain everything and that the audience should be able to work out for themselves the parts of the story and character that he leaves out. This is very much in the traditional nature of mythic storytelling.
Peter McAfree from Atlanta: Hi, Mr. Brooks. Don't know if you've answered this yet, but when is the new Running with the Demon novel coming out? Keep up the excellent work!
Terry Brooks: Thanks for the encouragement. ANGEL FIRE EAST is the third and final book in the Running with the Demon series, and it will be published in hardcover in October.
Oren from Bennington, VT: As the author of the novelization, did you have any say in the movie? Who had final say in the book? Did you encounter any editorial heavy-handedness? How much was collaborative?
Terry Brooks: I didn't have anything to do with the movie, which was shot before I came on board. George Lucas and I talked about the form of adaptation of the book at the very beginning and hashed over possibilities for the way the story might be developed. In the end, he sent me off to write it, and nobody looked at it until it was finished. The editorial help that I received was in no way heavy-handed, and it was in fact of great benefit. Most of it revolved around my use of technical terms and character references. Very little of the substantive writing was changed, even in the editorial stage.
Sara Hospador from Seattle, WA: I have yet to read your novel, and have never really been much of a fan of novelizations, although I love your work. How does the novel differ from the movie? What character did you enjoy developing the most?
Terry Brooks: This particular adaptation is different from most novelizations, in that it's an expansion on the movie story line and incorporates a great deal of new material about the background of Anakin Skywalker, the relationship between the Jedi Knights, and the history of the Jedi and Sith orders.
Chris Long from Philadelphia: Good evening, Mr. Brooks. How are you holding up on your tour? Ready to go home yet? Are you coming to Philly at all? Hope I haven't missed you.
Terry Brooks: I'm all done with touring, and I can't wait to get home. No Philly tour for this particular outing, but I might make it there with ANGEL FIRE EAST. If not, I will certainly be there in September of 2000 with the new Shannara book.
Jessica from Port Orchard, WA: Mr.Brooks: This isn't a question, just a little note of thanks I have really enjoyed your books and always look forward to every new release. So thank you for your great work.
Bill Smith from NYC: Hi, Mr. Brooks. I'm 25 years old.
Star Wars was
the most significant film of my childhood. And you know, THE SWORD OF SHANNARA is my favorite novel of all time. When did you decide to write a fantasy novel? How did the idea of the Shannara series come to you?
Terry Brooks: Whoa. I began writing SWORD OF SHANNARA in 1968 in my second year of law school to keep from going insane. It took me about 12 years and countless tries at other types of fiction before that time to get to fantasy and the start of the Sword. I was influenced by a tremendous number of authors over those years, both in content and style. But in particular, the European adventure story writers of the last century and Tolkien in this century.
Irena from Boston, MA: I read that the screenplay to
The Phantom Menace was written before the trilogy we've seen thus far. Did the first episode change based on how the three earlier films came out?
Terry Brooks: I have no idea. Maybe nobody knows except George.
Alex Wolsk from Boston: What is your opinion of Jar Jar? Are you aware of all the negative backlash that character has been receiving from the adult fans? Any chance Jar Jar may not make it back for the next film? Looking forward to more C-3PO in episode two.
Terry Brooks: My feeling is that adults never do understand kids entirely, which is probably the difficulty that the adults are having with Jar Jar. I haven't had the same kinds of problems with the character that the critics have and think maybe they're overreacting. The biggest difficulty with Jar Jar is understanding what he's saying, and some of that is helped by reading the book, where it's easier to study the language and the conversations that take place during the story.
Brett from NYC: Are there any plans to make an illustrated novel of
The Phantom Menace using images from the movie? In your mind, do all the characters look the same?
Terry Brooks: I have no idea about an illustrated novel, but my guess is if you've got money to buy it, someone will make it.
Kingsley from Indianapolis, IN: When you were writing the novelization of
The Phantom Menace, were you working from the script or the film itself? What sort of editorial decisions were made based on how the final cut of the film appeared?
Terry Brooks: The only substantive changes that occurred during the writing of the book came at about the halfway point, when I went back down to Skywalker Ranch to talk to George about changes in the movie that would impact the overall story line. One of the points at issue was the way in which the Midi-Chlorian count was extracted from Anakin. Mostly it was just a heads-up kind of meeting so I could make the adjustments that would keep this story consistent with the movie story. George didn't even bother with script pages. We just dialogued about what would happen.
Alicia Angell from Las Vegas: Mr. Brooks, were you the original author of the
Star War series? If not, who was?
Terry Brooks: I was not. And I can no longer remember who was, if I ever knew. I think that George Lucas wrote episode four -- that's all I know. I've never read them.
George S. from Williamsburg, VA: Have you done novelizations like this before? How was the process different from writing your other novels? Was it easier or more difficult having the plot laid out for you?
Terry Brooks: It's neither easier nor more difficult -- it's just different. The fact is, you're working with someone else's material, and you have an obligation not to go trampling all over it and also to bring your own creative abilities to the process of translating it, so it turns out to be a good adaptation. Obviously, when you're writing original material, and you're developing the story from scratch, you tend to exercise more control over the direction it takes. But that doesn't mean that you can't find the project, as I did with Star Wars, where the creator's work is similar to your own, and the material feels familiar and makes the entire process comfortable.
Tom Brack from West Palm Beach: Have you always been a
Star Wars fan? Are you more or less a fan now that you've worked so closely with the project?
Terry Brooks: I was always a fan. I saw the first movie when it came out in '77, saw all the other movies when they came out, have taken various sets of kids to see them, and one grandchild, so that makes me a fair-to-moderate sort of fan.
Moderator: Mr. Brooks, thank you so much for taking time out from your busy tour to speak with our online audience tonight. Continued success with the new novel and with the remainder of your tour. Any parting words?
Terry Brooks: Just that I look forward to meeting some of these people in person somewhere down the line at a book signing. Thanks for all the good questions.