Bryan Singer On Setting The Tone For Jack The Giant Slayer

Director Bryan Singer tells SFX that Jack The Giant Slayer is more in the style of The Princess Bride than an X-Men movie, in an interview in the latest issue (#232, out next Wednesday).

“It’s really all down to the tone of the film,” states Singer, when questioned about why this movie represents a thematic departure from his other fantasy work. “It feels a lot more classical. I mean, obviously we are inspired by timeless fairytales in this movie. However, I have also likened Jack The Giant Slayer to The Princess Bride and Pirates Of The Caribbean – epic, dramatic and romantic, with sweeping performances and a touch of comedy too. It is just a really fun film. I knew when I signed on to make this that it was going to be an exciting journey – for me and for the audience. I do not think anyone will watch this and say ‘Yeah, this has the same feel as an X-Men movie.’”

He goes on to describe the rationale behind the film’s plot:

“The idea is that giants once roamed around England but they are only remembered through mythology and fairytales. They have been totally forgotten about in every other way. That is how we ended up with the classic and very simple story of Jack And The Beanstalk . So we ask ‘What if that actually did happen? And what if the giants lost against the humans and were forced to leave their land?’ That is the basic premise here – and there is a lot of discussion about these old tales and where they came from. There is one scene which I really love, and it is when we see the humans battling against the giants. Ian McShane says, ‘They say that history is written by the winners. Well this may be a story that the giants finally tell.’ That is the idea here – the giants have come back to wage war against their oldest enemy.”

Read the full interview in SFX 232, published on Wednesday 6 February.

Jack The Giant Slayer , starring Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor, Bill Nighy and Ian McShane, hits UK cinemas on 22 March.

• Jack The Giant Slayer Trailer
• Read our Black Mirror preview feature

SFX Magazine is the world's number one sci-fi, fantasy, and horror magazine published by Future PLC. Established in 1995, SFX Magazine prides itself on writing for its fans, welcoming geeks, collectors, and aficionados into its readership for over 25 years. Covering films, TV shows, books, comics, games, merch, and more, SFX Magazine is published every month. If you love it, chances are we do too and you'll find it in SFX.